Can You Keep A Secret?
by multishippinglikeaboss
Summary: AU: What if it was Artie and Sam who were secretly dating at the end of Season 2? Sartie! Rated T, might change to M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1: Nationals

AN: This is my contribution to Sartie Week!  
AU: What if it was Artie that Sam started secretly dating in the Season 2 finale? How would the rest of the show unfold?  
_

Chapter 1: Nationals

Artie wasn't exactly sure how this had happened. Just an hour ago, he and the guys were giving Finn advice on how to get Rachel back (even though they all knew that, even without advice, the two would end up getting together, and probably breaking up a few more times). Then Finn went to find a suit for his big plan, enlisting the help of his trusted wingman Puck, who swore to make Finn so hot that "Berry would throw her virginity at him". Mike got a text, most likely from Tina, and left the room a little too happily, in Artie's opinion (he liked the dude, but Artie couldn't pretend that he still wasn't a little hurt about the Asian Camp incident, despite those two being some of his best friends.) That left Artie in the room with Sam, who was finishing off a bag of Doritos.

"Aren't you going to hate yourself later for that?" Artie had asked playfully, trying to get a conversation rolling. He'd rolled over on the bed so that he could face the chair Sam was sitting on, glad to be out of the chair for once. Sam had looked up and smiled his big-lipped smile. "I'm already hating myself for that cake you swore was calorie free. No reason not to keep the hate going," he had reasoned, dropping a few more cool ranch flavored chips into his mouth.

"So, what do you make of Finn and Rachel giving it another try? Think it'll work?" Sam had asked, continuing conversation. He'd jumped carelessly onto the bed, next to Artie, making himself comfortable. As Sam stretched his arms his shirt came up a bit, giving Artie a flash of abs that, for reasons unknown to himself, made Artie blush. It took a while for Artie to realize that Sam had asked him a question. It wasn't until Sam said, "You done checking me out?" that Artie had snapped back to reality and stumbled out a weak, "Um, what was the question?"

Sam had chuckled before reaching out a hand to lightly touch Artie's flaming cheek. "Wow, dude. You're super hot," Sam had commented. Artie assumed that Sam was commenting about Artie's epic blush (an unfortunate trait left over from his childhood), but still chalked the comment up to teasing. "You're not too bad yourself, Evans," Artie had let out, pretending to scan Sam's body up and down. And, ok, it's hard to _pretend_ to scan someone's body, so Artie had actually gotten a pretty good look. And, um. Wow. Artie'd never considered himself gay before (he _had_ had two pretty hot girlfriends, and even loved one of them), but Sam's Adonis-like body was causing a strange tightness in his abdomen.

Sam had noticed the reaction. After all, the two were friends, and had spent many a long Saturday locked up in Artie's room, playing video games or trading comic books or watching Avatar for the millionth time. Sam knew what Artie's faces meant, and he didn't miss the look of embarrassment mixed with arousal on Artie's red face. "You ok, dude?" Sam had asked gently, not wanting to embarrass Artie anymore because if Artie's face got any redder, Sam would've had to call an ambulance. Artie had nodded, his eyes so focused on Sam's face now that the brunette didn't even notice that his glasses were slipping down his nose. "I've just never been so close to a hot guy before," Artie let out without meaning to. Sam's reaction had been hysterical- his face had frozen in the expression he often wore before he burst out laughing, eyes wide with mirth, big lips tucked back, eyebrows raised. Artie saw that Sam was about to laugh, and nervously pushed his glasses up his nose while simultaneously pushing himself farther away from Sam on the bed. The blonde boy had stayed in that pre-laughing stance for a while, and Artie felt the need to defend himself.

"I'm so sorry, man, I didn't mean to make things awkward, and I swear I'm not just your friend because I think you're hot," Artie had said before seeing that Sam's expression hadn't changed. Hoping to make amends, Artie continued talking about whatever was on his mind, pushing up his glasses again even though they weren't slipping. " And that 'hot' thing slipped out on accident, you know how I get when I'm nervous, I just word-vomit all over the place, and usually I say something that makes my friends hate me so – crap, I've lost you now! Ok, we can _totally_ pretend this never happened if you wa-" Artie had been cut off in the last way he expected, by having Sam lean forward and force Artie's lips closed with his own. If he hadn't been in the middle of a face-tingling kiss, Artie would've lightly hit Sam in the back of the head because _really?_ Shutting him up with a kiss was so cliché. As it was though, Artie didn't say anything.

Which led them to now, Sam on top of Artie on the bed, struggling to get Artie's sweater vest off without knocking off the smaller boy's glasses. Artie couldn't help gasping with pleasure when Sam started bucking their hips together in a way that made Artie's whole body boil with ecstasy. Their lips kept moving together most of the time, save for when Sam ducked down to lightly suck on Artie's neck. "Sam! Oh my-" Artie managed to get out, his voice embarrassingly high-pitched. He felt Sam's chuckle against the sensitive skin of his neck, and Artie let out a groan before noticing that Sam had stopped moving and was simply laying on top of the wheel-chair bound boy, smiling simply, his eyes alight with mischief. Artie tried to make his breathing go back to normal instead of the panting he'd been doing for the last….twenty minutes? He hadn't exactly been looking at the clock.

"Look who gets excited around me," Sam said, holding himself over Artie's body with his arms. Sam lowered himself by doing what looked like a push-up, and the sight of Sam's incredibly built arms flexing made Artie feel like moaning all over again. "Look who thinks I'm hot," Sam seductively whispered into Artie's ear. Artie's eyes rolled to the back of his head before he exhaled some sexual tension. Sam rolled off of Artie so that he was lying next to him on the bed. Artie flipped himself so that he was facing the blonde teen that was smiling oh-so sensually next to him. Before Artie could say anything (not that he was sure what he would say if he could- "_I swear I'm not gay?"/ "This never happened?" /"You're so freaking hot?"_), Sam opened his mouth and shocked Artie with: "Look who never told me he likes me back." Artie's eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline, and before he could deny feeling anything for his awkwardly-smooth, great-at-impressions, undeniably attractive, unbearably funny, and perfectly dorky best guy friend, he realized no denial came to him.

The other guys came back to the room within the hour, leaving Artie and Sam little time to sort things out. The best idea, they thought, was to have a date when they got back to Lima, so that they could be sure it wasn't just this amazing trip that got to them (even though Sam swore up and down that it wasn't.) Artie emphasized that it had to be secret, that no one could know. In a small town like Lima, things spread fast and as Artie wasn't exactly sure what he was, he definitely didn't want it spreading around. Sam agreed on the condition that he could call Artie his boyfriend, a term that made both boys smile like smitten schoolgirls. Artie wanted to know when Sam had started liking him, but as soon as he asked, both boys heard the other Glee guys outside the motel room. As Mike insisted that Finn let the Asian boy try his turn at opening the door, Sam did his innocent smile and told Artie that he'd have to wait for their date to find out. At that, Sam settled himself on the other bed just in time for the other guys to open the door. Mike ran straight to bathroom, while Finn busied himself by hanging his new purchase in the hotel closet.

"How'd you ladies enjoy your alone time? Bet you gave the security cameras a show," Puck drawled, crashing down next to Sam. Artie's eyes opened with panic, but he still managed to answer: "Making out isn't the only thing two people can do when they're alone, Puck. You've been corrupted by your sex-god ways." Puck nodded happily and said "Damn right I've been corrupted. It's like I have sex-vision. One of the many perks of being me" before he fell back onto a pillow, apparently dead. Finn chuckled, "Puck can fall asleep anywhere. Flirting with New York Girls must have tired him out." With that, Finn yawned and went over to the bathroom, knocking impatiently on the door. "Mike, hurry, dude."

While Mike and Finn squabbled about who needed the bathroom more, Artie pulled out his phone and texted Sam, who was playing with the sleeping Puck's fingers.

**ARTIE:** Do you think he knows?  
**SAM**: I don't think anyone knows.  
**ARTIE**: *sigh of relief* Well, today was interesting.

Sam chuckled upon receiving that text. As soon as he wrote a new message and pressed send, Sam looked up at Artie and smiled.

**SAM**: Our date will be even more interesting. Oh, and I'm sure Nationals will be interesting too. Good night, boyfriend.

Artie smiled down at his phone, smiling furiously.

**ARTIE**: Good night, other boyfriend.

The boys looked at each other for a while, grinning hugely, and for a second Artie thought Sam might lean over the distance between the two beds and kiss him good night. That moment was interrupted by Puck letting out a ridiculously loud snore that made the boyfriends erupt into nervous giggles.

Finn made his way over to Puck and Sam's bed. "Puck's right, you guys are ladies. Or at least, you laugh like them, " Finn commented, trying to find a comfortable position. His comment only made them giggle more, until Mike came out of the bathroom and turned off the light. The darkness in the room felt too serious to laugh at, and it occurred to Artie that he actually had a boyfriend. An adorable, talented boyfriend who was in the bed next to him. That thought alone made sleeping very difficult.

**AN: The next chapter will be about Nationals itself, as well as the Sartie date. I'm thinking of making this a multi-chap. Any thoughts? Reviews make great writers great **


	2. Chapter 2: Light Up the World Tonight

**AN: Thanks so much for the feedback! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll try to update : )  
Have some more Sartie :D**

Chapter 2: Light Up the World Tonight

Sam was trying hard to listen to the instructions Finn was giving him and the other guys, but it was hard when his new boyfriend was sitting right in front of him, looking adorable with how intensely he was trying to pay attention to Finn. Sam knew Artie loved getting things perfect, and Finn's weird New York serenade thing was no exception.

It'd been weird hiding their (for lack of better word) relationship thing from the guys in the morning. Artie had woken up earlier than usual to find Sam staring out the window into the city. Sam had always been a light sleeper due to his siblings; he was so used to listening for any sign of distress that pretty much any sound was guaranteed to wake him up. The boys took advantage of the early hour to sneak out of the hotel and do some touristy things. It'd been nothing major, and Sam had made sure that Artie didn't count it as their first date. Sam wanted their first date to be more than just wandering New York in the morning, looking for the best hot dog stand in a three block radius. Still, it had been great to spend time together, just the two of them; it only became awkward when the boys had entered the room, laughing like only two people newly christened in a relationship could, only to find the rest of the glee club awake and wondering where their friends had disappeared to. Puck kept giving Sam and Artie weird looks, which Sam could tell freaked Artie out. Sam knew Artie's looks, after all, and the small boy's widened eyes and slightly flared nostrils meant he was panicking. Artie wore this look often when losing a video game to Sam, or, most recently, when Artie realized he had feelings for his guy friend. Sam had never seen him panic as much as last night, but Puck's attentiveness was making Artie get pretty close to that level, as far as Sam could see.

Sam put his hand on Artie's shoulder and squeezed a bit. He hoped to comfort his boyfriend, a sign of assurance that they'd be ok, but Sam's hand on Artie's shoulder had the unforeseen advantage of causing the shorter boy's ears to turn bright red. Truthfully, Sam felt like he accomplished something great whenever he made Artie blush. It was adorable how bashful his boyfriend seemed sometimes. Sam moved his hand slowly across Artie's neck, pulled at Artie's hair a little, ran his finger down Artie's sweater vest, enjoying every flinch and twitch that came as a result of it. As soon as Finn left the room in his new suit, reminding Puck of the when and where to perform, Artie spun himself around to face Sam, who was wildly amused with the faux-annoyance on Artie's face. "I couldn't even concentrate for the last half of that," Artie whined. He narrowed his eyebrows and put on what he probably thought was a forceful tone. "Don't distract me like that again, Samuel." Sam chuckled dryly before responding with, "Like you weren't already thinking about me." Sam smiled hugely when Artie's blush came out of hiding again, and he was about to call out his adorable boyfriend on it when Mike insisted that the four practice the number. "It's not like this has a dance number to counteract my singing," Mike insisted, "we're going to need to rehearse."

Sam hadn't counted on spending the first day of his and Artie's relationship rehearsing, but that's how it panned out. They spent all days harmonizing, which meant that Sam and Artie spent all day looking at each other. The four left the hotel and found Finn and Rachel quite easily, staying quiet so as not to ruin their moment. The four boys waited for Finn's signal, and Sam couldn't help but look at his new boyfriend and wonder if his friends would ever sing a number for _them_. But before the guys knew it, Rachel was leaving Finn, and despite wanting to do something, the four followed Finn's instructions to keep singing no matter what until Finn angrily cut them off, kicked a chair, and led them all back to the hotel room in grim silence. No one said a word the rest of the night, which was a real shame in Sam's opinion. This night was the last chance he would have to talk to Artie on the trip without it being all about the competition. This night, the two got to share a bed, and Sam was proud to say they fell asleep holding hands under the blanket.

Unfortunately, as Sam predicted, the next day was all about last minute preparations for Nationals. Mr. Shuester put the students into groups, and Sam found himself surrounded by Quinn (with hair just a tiny bit longer than his own now) and Kurt. Artie was all the way across the room, practicing his small duet in Light Up the World with Tina. Sam couldn't help the small twinge of jealously that overtook him when he saw the two burst out laughing at one of Artie's attempted shimmies, but he told himself it was nothing, that Tina and Artie had always been friends.

The competition was great while it happened, and Sam smiled proudly through his boyfriend's mini-solo, but the merriment was short-lived. They didn't even place, and another black cloud of depression came over the entire group this time. Sam didn't even get to talk to Artie until the plane ride, when he claimed the seat next to his boyfriend's. The two sat in silence at first, implicitly aware of Mr. Shuester sitting in front of them, until Artie pulled out a piece of paper. He handed the paper to Sam and did a motion of wiggling something in his hand. Sam got the clue and pulled out a pen.

_**Was that hand motion telling me that you want us to write to each other, or that you want to give me a hand job**__? _Sam scribbled. Artie was reading over Sam's shoulder, and Sam could practically feel the heat radiating off of Artie's face as the brunette boy took the pen and hurried to respond.

_Be more vulgar, I dare you. It really sucks that we lost, doesn't it? _

_**Not really. It gives us something to work for next year. And besides, we didn't really lose, did we? I got you, you got me, and we've got a date coming up :D**_

_You're so cheesy, I always thought I'd be the overly sweet one in our relationship._

_**Lor menari.**_

"What does that mean?" Artie asked out-loud, seemingly irritated with having to wait for his turn with the pen. Sam made a mental note that Artie got impatient easily before answering, "Lor menari- it's Na'vi for 'You have beautiful eyes', which," Sam added while simultaneously lowering his voice so that their choir director wouldn't hear, "you do." Artie blushed lightly before swatting Sam on the arm and saying, "Scoun." Sam looked at his boyfriend in amazement. He never would've admitted it, but Sam swore to himself that _that _was the moment he fell for Artie. "Did you just….insult me in Na'vi?" Sam asked incredulously, his heart expanding to fill his chest. Artie nodded shyly before whispering, "You make me watch that movie so many damn times that it's impossible for me not to have picked up anything." Sam smiled a big, goofy smile to warn his boyfriend that he was about to say something incredibly cheesy. "You didn't just pick that up. You picked _me_ up."

"Scoun."

**AN: Yay, Sartie fluff! I was going to write their first date in here too, but the chapter would've been WAY too long, so that'll have to wait until next time. Also, I was wondering whether I should include a Summer of Sartie in this fic, OR if after their date (and a few more things), I should just skip to the scene where Sam tells Artie he has to move so that I could get to Season 3 more quickly. I'd love to hear your opinions! Thanks for reading, stay tuned, and stay responsive :D  
**

**P.S. I wrote this chapter while listening to Glee's version of Bieber's "Somebody to Love"; I'm not a huge Bieber fan, but it sure was great for some Sartie inspiration .**


	3. Chapter 3: Courtship

**AN: Wow, I'm so glad you guys like the story :D I probably won't get another update in till Sunday, because my senior prom is tomorrow, so I really hope this super fluffy first date tides you over. It's super long, so that should help.**

Johannorlunda: thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story  
fi . in .a .box: OMG you're one of my favorite fanfic authors, so this meant a lot  
sartiebodyshots: I'm dreading that too! :O  
rebeccah20: I'll do my best to update quickly :)  
Maureen Anson: I'll take your advice, swimming Sartie sounds so cute! 

Chapter 3: Courtship

It was officially five days after they'd gotten together, and Sam was actually sort of nervous for the first date. He felt like such a girl, wondering what to wear (and feeling particularly stupid about it because, honestly, he didn't have much to choose from). The fact that Artie refused to tell him where they were going made it that much more difficult. The two had agreed to do what Artie called a half-and-half date, where each person in the couple chose one thing to do. Artie refused to tell Sam what his idea was, insisting it'd be better as a surprise. In retaliation, Sam kept his half of the date a secret too, and he couldn't help but worry that his half of the date would pale in comparison to Artie's "best idea ever"; Sam's half was the second and last part of the date, so it had to be epic. After lots of thinking, Sam had decided to take Artie to the street fair after _whatever_ his secretive boyfriend was dragging him off to do.

Sam walked over to the Abram's house, which wasn't too far from the hotel where he was staying. With every step, Sam got more and more anxious. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable about how he looked; he knew that he looked fly in his dark green and light gray plaid shirt and gray jeans. Sam already knew that he was the one that cared more about this date working out; he'd liked Artie for a lot longer than Artie'd liked him, so Sam had more to lose. He got more and more worried that halfway through the date, Artie would panic and leave, claiming to have just been confused, but then Sam remembered that look in Artie's eyes as they said good night on their first night as boyfriends. This was going to be great, he convinced himself in time to knock on the Abram's wooden door.

The door opened more quickly than Sam had expected, and his wheelchair-bound boyfriend rolled out of the house at what had to be top speed. "I'll text you later, Mom," Artie called over his shoulder into the house as he wheeled down the ramp to the empty driveway. "Nice way to talk to your mom," Sam commented sarcastically as he scanned Artie's outfit for any indication of where they might be going first, but the only thing that Artie's long sleeved dark blue tee-shirt and brown jacket tipped Sam off to was that Artie actually owned clothing that didn't come from the Seniors department of Sears. Well, that and his boyfriend was hot. "You look nice," Sam said sincerely as Artie adjusted the breaks on his wheelchair, preparing for travel. "No time for the proper social decorum," Artie teased, beginning to roll away. "We've gotta move fast, or we'll never get there in time."

"Where's _there_?" Sam asked, wondering where on earth they were headed. Artie smiled and shook his head –"Not telling"- before wheeling off without another word. Sam hesitated for a moment, then jogged a bit to catch up with his boyfriend. "Well, if we're not going to talk about where we're going, can we at least talk?" Sam asked a bit tensely. His boyfriend was acting really weird.

At that comment, Artie slowed down a bit and let out a laugh. "Sorry, I got kind of nervous," Artie admitted. "I'm not really great at the dating thing. Tina didn't want us to go out much because she thought I'd get upset about the number of things I can't do, so she and I always stayed in to watch movies or something. Brittany…she thought I was a robot at first, but then she decided I was a vampire because I never tan. So she never wanted to go outside with me either," Artie explained hurriedly, his voice getting higher as it went faster. "I guess I just wanted to make this work. I haven't had the best luck with this, you really matter to me, and I picked the coolest place EVER to share with you… Sorry for being aloof." Sam laughed at his boyfriend's signature word vomit and took the handles of Artie's chair, pushing him down the street. "Now _that_ sounds like my boyfriend," Sam said, nodding and smiling. At the word _boyfriend_, Artie's neck turned red.

"Didn't you want to know when I first started liking you?" Sam asked, hoping to get to talk about it. Artie's eyes widened in surprise as he turned his head so that he could see Sam from the side. "Well, honestly, yeah I'm curious, but I figured I'd drop the subject because it could be embarrassing," Artie admitted, wrapping his own hands together on his lap. Sam sighed deeply before suddenly spinning Artie's chair around so that the boyfriends could face each other. "I'm only going to say this once, Artie," Sam intoned, a serious look on his usually grinning face, "You're my boyfriend. And I'm yours. You _never_ need to be embarrassed to tell me _anything. _Ok? It's just like before, really. We're still bros. We can still talk about anything and stay up late playing Skyrim. The main difference is that we can make out now, too," Sam added jokingly at the end, in his usual tone. Sam really wanted this to get through to his boyfriend, and based off the spark that reignited itself in Artie's startling blue eyes, it did. "Ok, then. If you put it that way it doesn't sound so…._imposing_," Artie half-smiled at Sam before a look of panic overtook his bespectacled face. "OH MY GOD, WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!" Artie realized as he spun himself around faster than Sam had ever seen him move. "You can tell me on the way, I declare a race!" Artie yelled as he pushed himself forward with his arms. Sam kept up easily enough, straining to get his words out despite the fact that he was going pretty fast.

"I started liking you when we did the Bieber number together," Sam admitted, his face turning slightly pink with both the activity of running and with the realization that he was actually telling Artie the story. "I was having my doubts about Quinn- I just _knew_ that she cheated. I didn't want to admit it, but I was almost positive. Part of me also wanted to break up with her because of you, though. Singing that Bieber song was the first time I ever-" Sam was cut off by Artie making a sharp turn to the left. As soon as Sam realized they were changing directions, he caught up with Artie and continued. "You realize this race could only be fair if I knew where the finish line was!" Sam pointed out, his breathing turning into panting. Artie rolled his eyes and shouted back, "I know. But you would've let the kid in the wheelchair win anyway, right? You were saying, it was the first time you-?"

"Right. It was the first time I saw you in_ that way._ You know, as a guy. I always knew you were good at singing, but you channeled some of the Bieb's confidence for once and _that_," Sam paused to look at Artie and wink, "was muy sexy. Quinn and I were done within the week, but then I got Santana. Why not, right? She and Brittany are best friends, so you and I got to spend more time together." Artie stopped as soon as Sam finished, and both boys took the time to catch their breath.

"Let me get this straight, Sam. You thought I was hot…because I reminded you of Justin Bieber?" Artie laughed with a laugh on his face. Before Sam could answer, Artie burst out laughing and said, "Wow. I'm lucky that worked. Well," Artie continued, gesturing proudly at the old building in front of them, "here we are!" Sam looked at the run-down white building, and despite the fact that they were there, Sam had even less of an idea about where _here_ was. Artie checked his watches and smiled proudly. "It's 6 to 4. We're early!" he exclaimed proudly, wheeling towards the building. Sam paused, wary of their surroundings. He really liked Artie, but if Artie wanted his kidney or something else shady, Sam had to duck out. Artie turned, looking surprised at Sam's reluctance. "I promise, it's way nicer on the inside," Artie smiled, turning to face his boyfriend head-on. "Don't you trust me?" With that, Sam smiled, deciding to confide in his boyfriend, and pushed Artie through the door.

It really was nicer on the inside, Sam could tell even with the dim light. It was a room full of chairs, all facing a white wall. Was it a theater? Before Sam could ask, a black figure stood up from nowhere. Sam flinched, grabbing Artie's shoulder and preparing to protect his smaller boyfriend. For some reason though, Artie wasn't scared. "Yo, Steve!" Artie yelled happily, wheeling towards to silhouette. "I brought someone for you. This is my…this is Sam. Sam, Steve," Artie said. He seemed really happy to introduce Sam to the quirky looking, maybe thirty year-old who spent his time on the floor of dilapidated building, but when Sam got closer he could see that Steve wasn't that intimidating. He was thin, with a crooked smile on his face and blue eyes that reminded Sam of Artie's. "Steve here owns this run-down theater, and tonight, it's ours, baby," Artie commented happily to Sam, his eyes twinkling even in the bad lighting. "Anything for Artie," Steve nodded, his voice higher than Sam had expected. "I'll get the rolls," Steve announced before slinking off to some back room.

"You brought me to our own theater?" Sam asked incredulously, as the lights in the room turned on revealing a really nice looking place. Artie nodded with a huge grin on his face. "It's amazing, isn't it? Crazy Uncle Steve runs a tight ship, with about a million movies, literally," Artie rambled before realizing what he'd just said. "Well, not literally, obviously," Artie amended, "but still. He's got a ridiculous collection." Sam just stood there in awe. The street fair would seem pretty tame after this, Sam thought, deciding he'd better win Artie a huge teddy bear to compensate.

Steve trudged out of the back room, pulling an enormous box with him. "Alphabetical order. If you don't see it, we don't have it. Guest's choice," he proclaimed, leaving the box at Sam's feet. "Bring the roll up to me in the high room once you decide." With that, Steve patted Sam on the shoulder, really looking at his for the first time. "He's cute," Steve told Artie with a smile before leaving them. Sam looked at Artie, and the two burst out laughing. "He's strange, but awesome," Artie explained, "and he definitely knows a cute boy when he sees one." Sam giggled before saying, "Stop, you're going to make me blush," Sam said jokingly, imitating Artie's voice almost perfectly. Artie smacked the part of Sam's arm he could reach. "Scoun, don't imitate me," Artie said, laughing despite his insult. Artie rolled to the front row of seats in the back half of the theater, and painstakingly moved himself into one of the plush seats. "Pick any movie you want," Artie insisted, setting down the armrest next to him. "I'll be here."

Sam dove into the box of movies like it was a treasure chest, which it kinda was. Artie wasn't kidding when he said that Steve had a ridiculous movie collection. Sam found every movie he'd seen, every movie he'd heard of, and then some. He pulled out Avatar (score!) before thinking about it. He and Artie had seen that movie together so many times that it was almost there movie, but was it first date material? Then again, a chick flick would make everything awkward, while a random comedy would make everything seem far too casual.

"Hurry!" Sam heard Artie's voice from behind him before Sam felt something small hitting the back of his head. "Scoun!" Artie yelled, throwing popcorn. Sam turned around and caught the next popcorn in his mouth, causing Artie to clap excitedly. They proceeded to play that game for the next ten minutes, and Sam prided his big mouth for being able to catch every toss. Finally, Sam announced that he picked a movie, and Artie stopped harassing him long enough for Sam to give Steve his selection. Sam hurried back to the theater, sitting to Artie's left. "This is going to be legendary. So just…sith down," Sam whispered as the movie started. The epic fanfare filled the room as letters scrolled into the screen. "Really? I have the coolest boyfriend ever," Artie grinned before admitting quietly, "this is totally the movie I would've chosen." Sam grinned at his boyfriend before leaning over the armrest and sealing the sweet moment with a kiss, their first as a legit couple. Artie took the hint and leaned in, their lips meeting for the first time since they got together. Sam did the unthinkable and actually let himself ignore the first moments of Star Wars, thinking only about how soft his boyfriend's lips were and how much he wanted this moment to last forever. Eventually, Artie pulled back, apparently out of breath. "Asthma," he explained while pulling an inhaler out of his pocket. "It seems I take his breath away," Sam joked before leaning in for another kiss.

There was no way not to enjoy Star Wars. The two boys spent the whole time talking about things that had never made sense to them but were still awesome, about how epic everything was, and about how many times they'd individually seen the Episode IV (the count was Artie-7, Sam-8). Sam was grateful that there were no awkward silences, and that the relationship didn't seem strained; in fact, he was almost surprised by how natural it felt, as though they should've been doing this all along. The movie ended far too soon, in both of their opinions, but it was almost seven so Artie insisted that the boys venture to Sam's half of the date before the light went away. Sam felt almost embarrassed to take Artie to the street fair after what was undeniably the coolest date of his life, but Artie wouldn't take no for an answer.

"I've got to warn you- my date idea isn't as awesome as yours," Sam admitted sheepishly while pushing Artie in the right direction. Artie frowned up at the handsome man pushing him along. "It's a date with _you; _I'd groom cats if it was a date with you, and I'm allergic," Artie retorted. Sam snorted good-naturedly: "I didn't know you were allergic to cats." Artie made his voice as mysterious as he could before responding, "There are lots of things you don't know about me, Sam. Lots. Of. Things." The two boyfriends took a moment to look into each other's eyes seriously before they burst out laughing at the same time. Sam affectionately ruffled Artie's hair with one hand and bent down over Artie's shoulder to whisper into his boyfriend's ear, "Well, I intend to learn just about everything about you. Starting-" Sam began, as the boys pulled up to a booth- "with how good you can throw. Go on, take your best shot." Sam asked the carnie for a couple of baseballs and handed one to his boyfriend.

Artie looked at Sam with a look that reeked of _Seriously? _"Sam, there's no way I can hit those bottles. For one thing, the counter is too high. For another-" "For another, you're a pussy who's afraid to throw a ball," Sam said teasingly. "Come on! Try it," Sam insisted, pulling Artie back so that he could get the best possible shot. Artie sighed, then looked at Sam with a comically child-like "Do I _have _to?" Sam laughed out loud, then looked at his boyfriend pointedly. Artie took the hint, let out another exasperated sigh, and then threw. Sam was so impressed with the strength of Artie's throw that he it took his a while to realize that Artie missed the bottles completely and hit the carnie. A yelp of pain brought both boys out of each other's eyes and into reality. "Is ok! Happens all the time," the carnie insisted, nursing a red spot on his bald head. "You, go," the carnie insisted to Sam. "Watch and learn, hot stuff," Sam teased before knocking down all the bottles on the first try. The carnie was so happy that it was like Artie hadn't just nailed him on the skull. "Take the big one," the carnie said enthusiastically, gesturing towards an enormous teddy bear, "take for the pretty girlfriend." At the word_ girlfriend, _the carnie waved his hand in Artie's direction. Both boys fought the urge to laugh as Sam took the bear he'd earned. "Here," Sam said, placing the bear in Artie's lap, "I think it's as big as you are." As Sam pushed him towards the next activity, Artie grumbled, "I'm clearly a boy. Why would he think I'm a girl?" Sam laughed, and tussled Artie's hair again, a behavior that would persist throughout their relationship. "Maybe it's because you throw like one," Sam said lightly, anticipating the slap and muttered "Scoun."

The boys continued down the street, chatting about anything until Artie stopped talking. Sam followed his blue-eyed gaze to the small roller coaster down the street. "You want to take a ride?" Sam asked, though it was more of a statement than an assumption. Artie hesitated before responding with, "Yes. I mean, no. I mean, it looks pretty cool and I can't remember the last time I got on a roller coaster, but I don't think-" Sam cut Artie off with a smile and a whispered, "I wasn't talking about the roller coaster." Artie's entire being blushed, and Sam laughed louder than he ever had in his life. "Seriously though, dude," Sam said, sobering up, "you should. I'll help you get in. You'll be all strapped up, it'll be fine." Before Artie had more time to convince himself it was a bad idea, Sam had rolled him over and was helping him into the ride. Artie couldn't help feeling his abdomen tighten again when Sam buckled him in and Sam's hands were ghosting his lap. "Thank you," Artie mouthed. Sam smiled, ran to make sure the operator of the ride would watch the chair, and then rushed to strap himself in next to his boyfriend. "If you're scared, hold my hand. And scream. Scream like you want the world to hear you," Sam advised, holding his hand out. The sound of the ride starting made Artie flinch a bit, and he took Sam's hand. The boys shared a brief moment before the ride began ascending, each click adding to the tension. Artie's grip tightened around Sam's hand up until the coaster began to fall. The ride wasn't that big, but Artie screamed all the same. Sam had heard Artie sing full-voice before, but even that wasn't as loud as his scream right now. When the ride ended, Artie sat still. Sam was beginning to fear for his boyfriend's safety and sanity when he heard Artie ask a single question: "Can we go again?"

The operator let them stay on the ride, since Artie getting out of the ride and into the chair just to get back into the ride seemed cool, and besides, there was no line. Not a lot of people went to the street fairs. After riding it twice more, the boyfriends left, taking with them a picture of their reactions. Artie laughed at how terrified his own face was, while Sam pointed out that it was the first picture of them as a couple, hair streaming, faces distorted by speed and adrenaline. That made the boys laugh and scour the grounds for a photo booth for a proper picture session. With a little help from his boyfriend, Artie got into the booth and posed just as cheesily as Sam did. Sam dared to kiss Artie for the last frame, but judging from the response he got, his boyfriend clearly didn't mind. The last stop was the cotton candy machine, and the boys shared on the walk home to Artie's. By now it was almost nine, and neither could ever remember having such a great date. The boys stopped outside of Artie's front door, unsure of how to wrap up the night.

"Today was so great, Sam. Thanks. I think I can say with absolute certainty that this thing between us, whatever you want to call it, is the real thing. I _really _like you, and now that I let that slip, I'm just going to shut up and hope that you still think you like me," Artie rambled, tugging at the bottom of his shirt. Sam answered by getting on his knees, whispering "Scoun", and kissing Artie good night. The boys lost themselves in each other, almost forgetting that they were right in front of Artie's house. The kiss only stopped when they heard a noise from within. Artie pulled back with fear, as though his parents were listening on the other side of the door. They waited a few seconds, then heard nothing. "Tonight was great," Sam assured his easily-unnerved boyfriend. "I can't wait to do it again sometime." With that, Sam stood and played with Artie's hair again. "I'll text you," Sam assured Artie over his shoulder as he walked down the front lawn. "See you!" Artie yelled out to the retreating figure. He stayed outside until his boyfriend's silhouette could no longer be seen, and felt his head reeling. Tonight had been perfect, and Artie really hoped that tonight was the foreshadowing for how the rest of their relationship would pan out, because if it was, then his relationship with Sam could be the best thing that ever happened to him.

**AN: Wow, that was SUPER LONG! Did anyone think it was too long? I could make more chapters this length, but it would obviously take more time. I hope everyone enjoyed the Sartie date, because I know they did :) Leave me messages- how am I doing? What do you, the reader, want to see? What parts did you like?**

Until the next update! :D


	4. Chapter 4: Nga Yawne Lu Oer

**AN: I can't thank you guys enough for the reviews, feedback is the most useful tool an author can use.  
-**_**Joannorlunda**_**: thank you! I'm really glad you're enjoying the fic (I was wondering how Sam would try to top the movie thing too, this story pretty much writes itself lol), and thanks for the prom wishes. You too**_, __**Maureen Anson, **_**and I assure you I did not/will not be arrested. (I'm writing this author's note and some of the fic before the prom right now, because I don't want to get too behind on updates. It's all for you guys.  
-**_**fi. In. a. box: **_**I can't even believe you're reading this. I cannot. I remember when I stayed up late just to re-read "Tauntaun" after a terrible day to make myself feel better.  
-**_**digi-smile**_**, I can't tell you how much your comment made my day. The greatest compliment an author can hear is that they've gotten someone to read what isn't necessarily their ship. :)**

With all that in mind, let the summer of Sartie begin :D 

Chapter 4: Nga Yawne Lu Oer (You Are Beloved to Me)

The school year was over before the Glee kids knew it. Rachel talked about throwing another house party extravaganza ("With much less alcohol this time," she swore), but none of the Glee kids were that interested. They all had plans of their own to celebrate the end of another school year.

"We're doing something, right?" Sam asked Artie as he wheeled the boy to class. Artie looked back at him and nodded, "Of course we are. You, me, and video games?" The boyfriends decided to do exactly that, spending the first school-free day holed up in Artie's room, playing with fierce intensity, and Artie was shocked that things seemed so normal between the two. After all, they'd had what Sam referred to as "The Best First Date in History" over a week ago, and since then things hadn't been very coupley. Sure, they'd exchanged MANY a shy smile in Glee club, and Sam sent Artie a "Good morning :)" text every morning, but other than that… Of course, Artie didn't want to go public with the relationship just yet, which was probably a contributing factor for why they didn't go out much or act like they were together at school. Still, it'd been nine days since they'd last kissed.

Artie looked over at his dorky boyfriend, who was attacking the controller with such intensity…it was immensely attractive. Sam noticed Artie's lack of activity and turned to check on him. "Why are you staring at me?" Sam asked quickly, trying not to lose his focus on the game, but it was pretty hard to keep playing when his boyfriend kept staring at him like that.

"It's nothing. I just….really want to kiss you," Artie confessed bashfully, his eyes darting all over the room as though he wasn't sure where to look. In the end, he decided to look at the game just in time to see Sam's character burst into flames. Artie laughed at his boyfriend's virtual demise, but Sam just inched closer to Artie. "That better not have been a trick to get me to lose, because I really want to kiss you, too," Sam warned right before he leaned over and placed a long, passionate kiss on his boyfriend's lips. Artie wanted to respond to Sam's accusation, but he found himself sucked too deeply into the kiss for thought. Sam put his arms around Artie, pulling the boy closer, until there was no space between them. They were both sitting on the floor (Artie didn't like being in his chair when it was just Sam and him) when Sam straddled Artie's lap so that they were chest to chest. Artie's breath hitched, and his head shot back involuntarily. Sam took that as an invitation to Artie's neck, and he happily obliged, sucking at it and making Artie blush furiously and moan almost too loudly.

From where they were sitting, Sam could feel Artie getting harder against his leg, and it was Sam's turn to groan. Both boys were searching the other for where to put their hands. Artie couldn't seem to decide. His gloved hands roamed the length of Sam's back but stopped before getting to Sam's ass, which he actually really wanted to grab. Instead, Artie led his hands to Sam's toned arms, and after he thoroughly felt those up, Artie decided to place his hands on Sam's shoulder blades. They were strong, and Artie was fascinated by how they jutted out and moved. Sam, however, seemed to decide right away that his hands belonged on Artie's face. He kept them there for a good, long time, until he decided to try something else and put his fingers in Artie's brown hair. Artie trembled beneath Sam, and Sam's lips smiled against Artie's. "You like that?" Sam whispered roughly in Artie's ear, his hand tugging lightly at a lock of Artie's hair. Artie whimpered, apparently beyond speech, and nodded fiercely. From then on, Sam kept at least one of his hands tangled in Artie's hair, and the boys continued making out. They didn't stop until a knock on the door interrupted them.

Artie's mom opened the door a crack; she and her son had this rule that she wasn't allowed to open the door all the way, as she'd caught him changing more than once. "Artie? How are you and your friend? Do you need anything? Snacks? I just made lemonade," she called into the room. Sam pulled himself off of Artie (and strangely, neither of the boys could pin-point exactly when things had gone horizontal) and answered, as Artie's breathing was way too shallow and would arouse suspicion. "We're great, Mrs. A. Thanks." "Are you going to stay for dinner, Sean?" asked Artie's mom, her tone hopeful. Sam didn't know how to answer. He'd eaten at the Abrams's before, of course, but never as Artie's boyfriend. Not that Artie wanted his parents to know yet, Sam reminded himself. Still, the dinner would be awkward at best. "I'm making pot roast," Mrs. Abrams added hastily, as though hoping that would be just the thing to make Sam stay. Before Sam could answer, Artie's voice surprised him: "Mom, that's nice. Sam'd love to stay, right, Sam?" Sam looked over to his boyfriend, who was sitting up again and had an inhaler in his hand. "It'd be my pleasure, Mrs. Abrams. Thank you so much," Sam said, taking the hint. The door finally closed.

"Well, I guess you're meeting the family. I mean, you know them, but …yeah. First dinner as the boyfriend, nervous?" Artie asked, though it was beyond obvious that Artie was nervous himself. Sam frowned at his boyfriend. "Why do I have to stay?" he asked. Artie looked up at Sam, hurt quite clear in his huge blue eyes. "Do you not want to? Because I'm sure my mom'd understand if you left," Artie amended, trying to hide his eyes from Sam. "Of course I want to have dinner with you. I love pot roast," Sam joked. "It's just that…won't it be awkward?" Artie paused before answering, his eyebrow furrowed, as though he were putting a lot of thought into what he was going to say next. "It'll probably be awkward," Artie acknowledged. "But Mom…she's going through a weird time. She's sad all the time now. I don't know what to do; all I can do is try to avoid the things that I know set her off. And she gets very upset when people don't want to stay for dinner," Artie concluded, looking hopefully at his boyfriend. Sam narrowed his eyes and nodded. The boys stayed silent for a moment before Sam spoke to break the uncomfortable silence. "So," he started, "we should do this every Thursday." Artie's eyes lit up anew, and god damn, if those eyes weren't the most beautiful things Sam had ever seen… "I agree! Thursday is now Video Games and Make-Out Night," Artie said excitedly. Sam nodded, and added, "Don't forget about the part where I stay for dinner."

"You mean, don't forget about the part where you're basically the best boyfriend ever?" Artie corrected, his face full of gratitude. Sam smiled sheepishly, and was about to dismiss it as boyfriend duties and best friend obligation when Artie spoke: "No, really. You've been great. Thank you. So, so much. Irayo." Sam crinkled his eyes at the last word Artie said (Ir-aw-jo? What did _that _mean?), to which Artie responded, "It means 'thanks' in Na'vi. I thought you'd know that." Sam smiled hugely, his heart beating almost as hard as it had been before their make-out session was interrupted. "You're learning Na'vi?" Artie rolled his eyes as though to say _Of course I'm learning Na'vi. And it's for you._ "I thought it'd be fun if we had our own secret language. And since I don't know if you can learn Klingon as easily as I can, I figured Na'vi would be great. Besides, studying Na'vi is a ton of fun for me. Ftia oel lì'fyati leNa'vi nì'o' nìwotx," Artie answered, translating his last sentence into Na'vi to emphasize how much he meant it.

Sam couldn't believe it; Artie was learning another language just for him. They'd been together two weeks, and though Sam had already been sure that he loved the guy, he was at the point where he couldn't stop himself from saying it. "Artie… nga yawne lu oer," Sam blurted out. For a second, Sam panicked; they'd been dating two weeks! It was way too soon to drop the L word, and even sooner for Sam to be having all these thoughts of _forever_. His panic ended when he noticed that Artie's eyes had gone blank again, and Sam couldn't tell if he was disappointed or grateful that Artie obviously hadn't understood what he just said. "What did you say?" Artie asked, crinkling his nose. " 'Naw jaw-en-ee loe were'?" Before Artie had time to figure it out, the door opened again and Artie's mother announced dinner was ready. Sam had never been happier for an interruption.

The dinner was awkward, as both boys had predicted. Artie's younger brother, Ben, seemed almost aware of the romantic vibes between his brother and the other teenager at the table. Ben watched intently as his brother's skin flushed red as his hand met with the other boy's when the other boy passed Artie the salt. Ben noticed how his brother's laugh was more real than he'd heard it in a really long time, and he saw how the other boy smiled with that gigantic mouth of his every time Artie said anything. It became evident that Ben had picked up what Mrs. Abrams was missing when Ben asked if they were boyfriends. Sam looked at Artie- up until then, the dinner had been awkward, but their relationship hadn't been brought to the foreground. Artie inhaled deeply, but before he could deny anything , his mother beat him to the punch. "Of course not, Ben. Artie's not one of _those._ They're just friends," she said calmly. Sam noticed Artie tense up at his mother's mention of _those_, but before he could put a comforting hand on Artie's shoulder, his mom decided to make it more awkward. "Speaking of relationships Artie, when are you getting back with that nice girl? Oh, what was her name? Not the dumb one, no. I'm talking about the one who had a chance at getting into a really good college with you." Artie looked at the ceiling, wishing it could fall on him so that this conversation wouldn't continue. Sam decided to take the wheel: "If you're talking about Tina, Mrs. Abrams, she and Artie are just friends." Mrs. Abrams nodded: "Yes, Seth, but the best relationships grow from the best friendships." At that, Sam and Artie dared to look at each other out of the corners of their eyes and smile. "You're right, Mom. You're absolutely right," Artie said, barely blushing.

After dinner, Artie was given permission to accompany Sam back to the hotel where he was staying. They walked in silence at first, just glad to be in each other's company. "We got pretty far, didn't we?" Artie said, trying to start conversation. Sam laughed, "We didn't even make it to second base. I'd say we left a lot of room to work with." Both boys laughed nervously. Sam was surprised when Artie chose to talk about the dinner. "Ben's pretty smart, you know. For a twelve year old, anyway." Sam nodded, "Yeah, he's smart like his brother. Seriously though, how did he catch on?" Artie shrugged then giggled, "Maybe it's because you were blatantly undressing me with your eyes. Honestly, I'm surprised that he's the only one who's noticed so far. Well, him and maybe Puck," Artie revised. Sam laughed too, then haltingly asked, "Does Tina know?" Artie's eyebrows shot up before asking, "Why on earth would I tell Tine about us?" Sam tried to seem nonchalant as he explained, "Well, weren't you guys best friends before the whole…" Sam cut off, searching for the right word. "Schism?" Artie offered. Sam nodded curtly: "Yeah, before the schism. And besides, your mom loves her."

Artie spun around to face the boy who'd been pushing him, only to find Sam with his hands in his pockets and his head down. "Is THAT what you're worried about?" Artie asked incredulously, searching Sam's face for any trace of a joke and feeling alarmed when he didn't find one. "Dude…my mom decides what I wear, but she doesn't decide who I love," Artie said, sounding slightly annoyed. "I mean, yeah, she got along with Tina. But I'm not dating Tina. I'm dating you," Artie continued, beginning to ramble. He got so into his ranting that he didn't even notice Sam lifting his hear slowly to look Artie in the eye- Sam's face was full of awe and shock, but he didn't dare interrupt Artie's rant. He wanted to hear where it would go. "She said it herself, the best relationships come from the best friendships, and she's right; she married my dad for the money and I've never seen them happy, so- that might not have been the best example. Ok, so it's like this: If I want to be with you, I will be. And I am. Do you even realize how much this matters to me? How much you matter? I've never lied to my parents before, and I'm lying so that I can be with you, I'm learning another language for you, and I'm risking even more hate coming my way because… No matter what anyone throws at me, no matter what they say or what they do, I know you're worth it." Artie cut off, and he finally noticed the way Sam was looking at him, like he was a god or something. "What?" Artie asked, getting slightly worried about the way his boyfriend was staring.

"You said 'love'," Sam explained. Artie opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. "You said your mom can't decide who you love," Sam kept going, kneeling down in front of his boyfriend again. Artie continued to look at Sam in shock, but Sam kept smiling confidently. How could he not? His boyfriend loved him. Even if Artie hadn't let it slip, the whole little speech he'd given would've revealed exactly how much Artie cared for him. Sam gave Artie a sweet, chaste kiss on the lips. Pulling back, he asked, "You love me?" Artie's eyes were closed from the kiss, and they still hadn't opened. "I can't?" Artie said, though it sounded more like a question than an answer. "I care about you, but really? How is it possible to love you already? We haven't even been dating a month! How do I…" Artie cut off in his rant and opened his eyes. Before him was the most gorgeous face he'd ever seen, and not just because Sam happened to be extremely good-looking. When he looked at Sam, Artie saw hope and happiness; he saw everything good in the world, everything that made life worth living, but even more than that, Artie saw a look of pure, unadulterated love.

"All my life, I thought love was something stupid," Artie admitted. "Like it was a myth or something. I fell in love once, and I thought that falling would be enough. But it wasn't," Artie said shakily, his hand going through his hair. "It wasn't enough. I didn't know I had to keep working at love, and the second I started relying only on love, she left me. Then with the next girl… I was scared to love again. I loved her the way she loved everything, like bunnies and pastries, things like that, but I didn't fall in love again. I said I'd never fall again, because if love wasn't enough to keep two people together, then what was it good for?"

Sam was quiet for a moment before mumbling, "That's a hell of a long way to go to tell me you love me." Both boys chuckled roughly, until Sam whispered, "I love you, too. And your love? It's more than enough for me." The boys looked into each other's eyes for what felt like forever before Artie leant towards Sam's face and initiated a kiss between them for the first time. Sam felt air rush down his throat in surprise; Artie had kissed him, in a public street, not caring who saw. Not that there was anyone around at this hour, but still. When Artie pulled back, he said, "If you thought that dinner was awkward, imagine what the dinner when I introduce you as my boyfriend will be like." Sam grinned at the implication, and he continued to push Artie down to the hotel. They grinned dreamily the rest of the night, even when they had to say good night, even when they had to pull apart. Sam walked into the hotel room to the sound of his siblings fighting over a doll, but not even that could ruin his mood. Sam simply pulled both kids into a hug, and he was so happy that his siblings found they couldn't fight any longer. Artie, on the other hand, rolled home as though he was high, giggling and sighing every so often. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so good, and he thought to himself that _this _was what he always thought love would feel like. Everything was perfect.

Except that it turned out that Sam had been wrong. There was somebody there, somebody who saw the boys kiss and exchange promises of love. This somebody was buzzing with the excitement of having discovered a secret couple and was already planning when and where to let this juicy gossip out. When they got back to school, the person decided as he watched the boys, smiling like they were truly in love, disappear down the street towards the hotel where Sam lived.

**AN: Dun dun dun! Sorry for that ending, but it's really important to the plot. I admit it probably won't be brought up for a few more chapters, so don't worry about it…yet :D I did manage to get a chapter done before my prom (YAY), but this means that there definitely won't be another chapter until tomorrow. The summer of Sartie has begun, and believe me when I say that fluff is on its way. Pure, fluffy fluff. 3 How many summer chapters do you guys want to see before the inevitable angst rears its ugly head? Oh, and I got the Na'vi from an online dictionary I downloaded. I think I'm actually going to learn to speak Na'vi, it's actually a really beautiful language.**

Until next time! :D


	5. Chapter 5: I'm Yours

**AN: Hey, people! After much deliberation, I decided to do two chapters for each month of summer. Last chapter was the first June chapter, so this is June Part 2. Honestly, I want to build up the fluff as much as I can because I'm dreading what's to come, but I can't keep dragging the story out forever. To those who wished me a good time at prom, thank you, I actually had a great prom! :D I can't wait to write the senior prom chapter . **

Chapter 5: I'm Yours

Sam was hanging off of Artie's bed, his feet against the wall and his blonde hair almost touching the floor. Artie was at his desk, filling out a form angrily, choking the pen in his hand. "Dude, what up with the rage?" Sam asked from his awkward position on the bed. Artie turned to his face his boyfriend, and the anger on his face melted away when he saw Sam hanging upside down; in fact, Artie erupted into a giggle fit. "You look hilarious! Your face…it's all red!" Artie laughed, clutching at his stomach. Sam raised his eyebrows (although, from Artie's perspective, it looked like Sam's eyebrows sunk a couple of inches) and said, "Like you're not blushing all the time whenever you're around me. Now quit marveling at how cute I am and tell me why you're angry."

Artie sighed, surrendering. "I just hate filling out forms," Artie explained, his grip on his pen tightening automatically at the very word forms. "I really want a summer job, to keep myself busy. Mom's been wondering why I've been 'squandering my summer with Seth'", Artie continued, using air quotes to show that he was directly quoting his mom. Sam furrowed his eyebrows: "Seth?" Artie rolled his eyes at his mother before answering, "She's really bad at remembering names. Mostly, she just really wants me to go to a good college. Be a Princeton man, like my dad." Artie snorted at that. "And for that you need a summer job?" Sam questioned, making a mental note to ask Artie about the father thing later. Artie nodded: "Apparently." Before Sam could offer to fill out the rest of the form for his boyfriend to ease Artie's nerves, Artie spoke haltingly: "Also, you're going off to summer classes in like a week. As pathetic as it sounds, I'm not sure how to spend my time without you now. At least a job will keep me productive."

Sam frowned. He was pretty upset, too, when he found out that he needed to take summer classes to fulfill his graduation requirements. Sometimes, dyslexia really sucked, and math was hard enough without mistaking 2's for 5's and such. It made Sam feel stupid, and it stole the summer before his senior year. More importantly, it took the time he could've been spending on working to raise money for his family. Sam wasn't the kind of guy to dwell on the negative though; he was the kind of guy to search for solutions, or make solutions when one couldn't be found, so Sam took about five seconds to feel sorry about his situation before reaching a solution for both of them. "You could tutor me in math," Sam suggested happily. "I mean, I wouldn't be able to pay you, obviously, but you could definitely use the experience as volunteer work, which looks great on applications too," Sam reasoned, his smiling spreading as he saw a grin breaking out on Artie's face. "I love that!" Artie clapped excitedly. The excitement wore off a bit though once Artie realized, "But what do I do while you're in classes?" Sam shrugged. "I've always wanted to have someone who loves me write a song for me, if that gives you any idea for what to do," Sam said coquettishly, tossing one of Artie's pillows towards the desk. Artie ducked just in time; Artie's reflexes had improved much throughout his one month relationship with Sam, as Sam liked throwing pillows.

The pillow had to hit something, though, and that something was the giant teddy bear that Sam had won for Artie. "Tremus!" Artie yelled, his eyes wide with worry as he reached to save the bear. The bear fell outside of Artie's reach, however, and fell to the floor, making a soft thumping noise. Sam rolled off of Artie's bed and rescued the bear from the floor so that Artie wouldn't have to move. As he returned the bear to its home, Sam turned to Artie and asked, "Tremus?", his tone begging for an explanation. Artie blushed, realizing that he had called Tremus by its name in front of the guy who actually gave it to him. "Um, it's an amalgamation of Tonks and Remus," Artie explained, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, one of his numerous nervous ticks. Sam smirked, realizing why Artie had chosen to name the bear, a memory from their first date, after one of the best couples. "Name the bear after your favorite couple of all time?" Sam asked, mainly to clarify that he was right. Artie nodded, not saying anything more. Sam thought it was incredibly sweet. "If I got to name the bear after my favorite couple, you know what it'd be called?" Sam asked suggestively, inching closer to Artie by the second. Artie scrunched up his face, trying desperately to figure it out, but his thought process was interrupted by Sam's perfectly pouty lips pressing lightly on his own. Sam pulled back enough to whisper, "Whatever our couple name is." Artie laughed at that.

"You want to work with me tomorrow?" Sam asked suddenly, standing up and walking behind his boyfriend. Artie started to answer, but the sensation of Sam's strong hands at his neck was incredibly distracting. "W-w-what are you doing?" Artie managed, trying not to moan. Sam let out his deep laugh before responding, "I'm massaging your neck. You seem tense, baby. So, work?" Artie closed his eyes, intending to thoroughly enjoy the relaxing sensation. "What gig are you singing at tomorrow?" Artie asked, his voice low and slightly rough. Sam tried not to get turned on by Artie's voice by focusing on getting the knots out of his boyfriend's neck: "Um, it's some summer party. A kid from Carmel is having a graduation party on a budget, and they got my name from a friend. Thought it'd be cool if you sang with me, you being such a great singer and all."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Artie let out between sighs and smalls groans; Sam's hands were magic. "Does that mean you're in?" Sam asked, wanting to be sure that he'd interpreted that correctly. Artie nodded, his eyes still closed, his expression blissful. Even after Sam had stopped massaging his shoulders, Artie swore he could feel the warm, strong hands on his back.

By the next day, though, Artie was nervous. Even though they were just going to the party to perform, it was technically their first party together as a couple. Artie wondered if Sam thought of it that way, and decided he probably didn't, since to him it really was just work. The boys had decided to meet up at Evan Ritzger's house so as not to arouse suspicion. Artie's mom was still thankfully oblivious to the sexual tension between the boys, as well as to the eyes filled with adoration, but she still found it odd that Artie's friend was around all the time now. Artie wasn't sure what was running through her mind; maybe she thought Sam was trying to get her son involved in a gang or something? Either way, the less she knew, the better. "Later, Mom!" Artie said loudly as he made his way to the door. "Where are you going?" came his mother's voice from deep within the recesses of her own room. "I'm going to sing at some kid's party for money!" Artie yelled back, annoyed that she couldn't come out of her room to talk to him. "Don't drink anything, take your money, and text me when you're coming home." Artie mouthed his mother's instructions as she said them; it was the same advice she gave him whenever he went anywhere. "You're right, Mom. I love you," Artie answered on cue before slamming the door shut and wheeling his way over to the gig.

"Hey, you," Sam greeted his boyfriend casually while leaning against the outside of the Ritzger's quaint one-story white house. Artie gulped upon seeing Sam; he looked really nice, as always, but there was something about Sam holding his guitar that made Artie's stomach tighten. Artie loved that Sam could play guitar, just like Artie could, and Sam was wearing the instrument so casually that it was sexy. "Hey, you," Artie returned, waving awkwardly. Sam narrowed his eye's at Artie's blatant discomfort: "You worried about something, man?" Artie shrugged, leaving it at "I just don't like parties that much." Artie didn't want to make Sam worry about his being socially inadequate.

"You seemed to like Rachel's house party a while ago. Unless it's an alcohol induced memory, I distinctly remember something about you and me and body shots…?" Sam quipped, his usual expression of amusement on his face. Artie blushed and stammered, "T-t-that's different. I mean, that was a party with our friends. Here, I'm just the kid in the wheelchair." The truth hung heavily in the air as Sam tussled Artie's hair affectionately. "We both know you're more than that," Sam said seriously. "And everyone in there will know that too as soon as you start singing. Come on! Who's the flyest mo'fo this side of the country?" Artie rolled his eyes, but answered: "Me." The boys laughed at that while Sam opened the door for his boyfriend. "After you," Sam said sweetly, offering his boyfriend a smile.

The first half of the part went well enough. The boys sang a myriad of popular songs, from top 40 to old classic. At some point, Sam even tried to sing Bieber's "Baby" to get the small crowd riled up, but some kid told them to shut up before Artie could even get to his rap, but for the most part the party seemed to like them. There were maybe twenty people in the house, which Artie thought was a surprisingly small number of people to attend a graduation party, but at least it kept everything from getting crazy. The main problem Artie had was his jealousy; there was a blonde girl wearing a little red dress that kept staring at Sam as though he were the last donut on earth, and she even had the audacity to wave at him while batting her drowned-in-mascara eyelashes at him before flashing him a "call me" sign with her hand. Sam, being the perfect boyfriend, ignored the girl save for a small smile of acknowledgement, but Artie was aware that as long as their relationship was a secret, Sam was, as far as everyone else was concerned, on the market.

After about an hour of playing, Sam announced that they would be taking a break. Artie wasn't sure how to feel: on one hand, he was really glad for a break, because his throat was really dry and his hands ached from playing. On the other hand, though, Artie was worried that the Skank In the Red Dress would try to make a pass at his man. "Want me to get you a lemonade?" Sam asked Artie quietly, pulling Artie out his mental list of ways to convince the bleached blonde girl to leave the party. Artie nodded curtly, never taking his glare away from the girl who had eyes for Sam. Not that he could blame her, though. Sam was undeniably adorable, talented, and had the cutest smile in the world. Pair that with the sex appeal that oozed off of him whilst singing and Artie was surprised no one had thrown their bra at his boyfriend yet.

Sure enough, while Sam was filling two red cups with lemonade, the blonde girl sidled her way over to the table in an attempt to make conversation. Artie couldn't read her lips, but the ways she twirled her hair and bit her lip said enough. Sam looked uncomfortable to Artie, although that might have just been wishful thinking. Despite his look of confusion, the girl found an excuse to throw her head back and laugh while reaching out to touch Sam's arm. Artie felt his muscles tighten, and his heart felt like it was beating in his neck. He felt like rolling over and telling the girl that Sam was _his_ man, and that she could look all she liked but that she better back off unless she wanted to be road kill. However, based on the girl's sudden devastated expression, it looked like Sam had beat him to the punch.

Sam walked back over to his boyfriend, offering up a drink. "One Red Solo cup for Artie," Sam narrated. Artie accepted the cup and smiled, waiting for four solid seconds to ask, "So, what did Ke$ha want?" Sam's eyes bugged out for a second before he erupted into laughter that made half the room stare at them. "You mean that random girl who asked me if I was married? I guess she was trying to get all up on this," Sam said, still laughing. "Ke$ha", Sam muttered under his breath, his expression mirthful. "What did you say?" Artie asked, trying his hardest not to sound crazy with jealousy. Sam shrugged, his expression cheerful. "I told her the truth, that my heart already belonged to someone else." As soon as Artie heard that, it got much easier to breath. "Was somebody jealous?" Sam asked, turning his seat on the stage so that he could face Artie. Artie's mouth scrunched to one side of his mouth while he figured out how to answer, but the lack of answer was sufficient information for his boyfriend. Sam leant over and cupped Artie's hand in his own. "Scoun," Sam muttered, his voice taking on that tender tone that it only did for Artie, "I'm yours. Never forget that."

With that, Sam stood, smacked Artie on the shoulder, and walked over to the microphone. "Alright, break's over! We're back with a song I'd like to dedicate to the love of my life," Sam announced, turning slightly to look at Artie when he said _love of my life. _Artie found it hard to breathe again, wondering if Sam really meant that. He knew that they'd exchanged the L-word already, but _love of his life_? They weren't even eighteen yet, there was no way that Sam could be sure he'd never love anyone more than-

"_Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it/ I tried to be chill, but you're so hot that I melted/ I fell right through the cracks/ And I'm trying to get back,"_ Sam sang. Artie smiled- He loved Jason Mraz. As Sam sang _to get back, _he cued Artie with his eyes. Artie took the next verse, and he couldn't help grinning at the guy who was smiling back, just as big. As they hit the chorus, it felt less and less like a performance and more like a declaration to each other. "_I won't hestitate no more, no more/ This cannot wait/ I'm sure there's no need to complicate/Our time is short/This is our fate/I'm yours," _the boys sang together, their voices melding beautifully. At the word _fate_, Artie blushed and Sam's smile widened even more. Artie wasn't worried about the blonde girl, or his parent's, or anything at the moment. He was singing words that were truer than he'd ever said, and he could tell that Sam meant them too. If he'd still been watching, Artie would've seen the blonde girl in the red dress looking at the boys suspiciously. He almost might've noticed a scrawny looking dirty-blonde boy in a striped tee-shirt watching them very interestedly. As it was, Artie wasn't interested in anything that wasn't his boyfriend or the song that they were sharing.

As soon as the song was finished, the applause of twenty-something people brought the two boys back down to earth. It was kind of embarrassing; the boys had completely forgotten where they were. We need to be more careful about how we are in public, Artie realized. Still, not even that realization could sour the sweet moment as Sam gave him the same beautiful stare he'd been giving Artie since they'd fallen in love with each other.

They sang for about another hour, but people started leaving as early as seven, and the small looking boy in the striped tee-shirt told them they could stop. "I'm Evan Ritzger," he explained, looking around at the thin crowd with a sad look on his face. "What's your story, Evan?" Sam asked, and Artie had to agree with his boyfriend that something seemed…off about the young man before them. Evan sighed before deciding to tell the boys what was going on. Evan didn't really about himself to anyone, but the blonde boy had such a genuine smile, and the boy in the wheelchair had such an honest face that Evan found himself unable to stop the words coming out of his mouth.

"I graduated high school early this month, and I left feeling like my business wasn't done. I was one of those kids that nobody ever noticed. I wasn't a jock or a performer; I was just the small looking kid who played with Yu-Gi-Oh cards at lunch," Evan admitted quickly, as though the words were spilling from his mouth. He had a nice voice, slightly nasally, but pleasant sounding, as though he were a singer or something. "I wanted to leave the school knowing that people would remember me. That's why I threw this party, but…"Here Evan sighed and ran his fingers through his fluffy hair, looking distraught, "Nobody showed up." Evan laughed bitterly at the three people that remained. "My parents were only out tonight, and I didn't have much money to work with to make this happen, but I thought…I thought I'd be able to accomplish something? I don't know what I was thinking," Evan moaned, pulling at the hem of his striped shirt nervously.

"Where are you going to college?" Artie asked, hoping to make Evan focus on the future rather than what seemed to be a pretty dismal present. The truth was, without Sam and without Glee club, Artie felt like he would be this kid who felt like he'd never accomplish anything. "I'm going to Everdeer Community," Evan let out defensively, as though expecting Artie to make fun of him, which of course Artie wouldn't. His dad may have been a loud and proud Princeton man, but Artie himself was no scholar snob. "Can I ask you guys something?" Evan asked suddenly, playing with his hands in order to avoid nervously pulling at his hair. "Course, dude," Sam asserted, looking Evan straight in the eye. Evan nodded absently, as though building up the courage to ask them the question. Evan swallowed a lungful of air before asking "How do you get a guy to like you? I've been trying to get a boyfriend all of high school, but I assumed it was…impossible. Because of where we lived, because of how that's seen. But then I saw you guys. I want what you guys have."

Artie looked at Sam in alarm-the secret was getting harder to keep by the second. It was in this instant that Artie realized how good Sam actually was for him; their love went beyond their nerdy bond, or their mutual attraction. Artie was emotional, and sometimes it worked for him. Sometimes though, his emotions got the best of him; he got nervous easily, and often it led him to panic or say things that he really shouldn't say. Sam was his balance; where Artie often overreacted, Sam stayed calm. Sam was rational and level-headed, Artie's own mellow yellow. In this instance, Artie wanted to babble on until Evan forgot what he had asked them. Sam handled the situation well: "Whatever the deal with this guy and me is, the advice for attracting someone you want is always the same. Be yourself, dude. There's got to be something you like about yourself, and if there isn't, you'll find something. And when you start embracing yourself, that's when other people starting embracing you, too."

They'd left soon after that, taking the long route back to Artie's house. The boys went through Ellwood Park and stopped by the pond for a moment, just soaking in their weird afternoon. "That was really fun," Artie said, pushing back his sweater sleeves to his elbows. Sam nodded: "It really was. You sound better every time you sing, dude." "You do, too," Artie agreed, wondering what to talk about next- there were just so many subjects that he wanted to broach. He was grateful that Sam bit the bullet: "So what do you want to talk about first? Ke$ha, the song, or the boy? Because if you want to talk about Ke$ha, there's nothing to say there. I thought my mini-speech and song proved how much I care about you and only you." "It did," Artie insisted. "It really did. When we were singing together…it's like we found all the words our eyes were desperately trying to communicate this whole time, you know?" Sam nodded slowly. "Yeah. I meant it, though. I really think we're fate." At this, Sam reached over to hold Artie's hand, and since they were alone, Artie obliged. "How did he know?" Artie asked, looking out at the pond instead of at Sam. Sam shrugged, also looking out into the horizon. "Maybe it's a thing. Couple senses or something. Or maybe it was the way we sang that song," Sam suggested, his hand clutching Artie's a little tighter. "That was probably it," Artie agreed, realizing how openly his face showed emotion. It really was a wonder that the whole world didn't know by now.

The boys stood together, hands entwined, staring out into the setting sun and the moment felt eternal. Artie found himself wishing that this moment _was _eternal, that he could spend the rest of his days with Sam, happy and warm in the security of their love. No matter who wouldn't approve, no matter how many people starting figuring it out, the feelings he got around Sam couldn't be traded for anything.

"Artie, you think this'll last? This thing with us? Because, if I'm being honest, I can't think of any way this will ever end," Sam admitted, his voice dripping with hope and fear. Fear of what, Artie wasn't sure. Maybe that Artie wouldn't feel the same way, which was ridiculous. Artie'd been thinking the exact same thing. Artie decided a less serious but still truthful answer would be best in the moment: "I hope to Eywa that it'll last as long as it can." At the mention of his favorite fictional deity, Sam started to go for a kiss; halfway through, he must've remembered that they were in public, because he settled for crouching to Artie's ear and whispering, "I'm going to kiss the hell out of you when we get to your place." As he straightened himself out, Sam ruffled Artie's hair. "I love you," Sam said, looking out into the sunset again. "You know I love you, too."

"Artie, do you realize that Evan's party was our first as a couple?"

"I liked the party with the body shots better."

**AN: That concludes June. July should consist of swimming Sartie and a themed party that is going to be fly like it's Quidditch. :D Drama and fluff coming your way! Feedback please; I really love you guys that are following and reading. :) Thanks so much!**


	6. Chapter 6: Splish and Splash

**AN: Hey, guys! Welcome to Month 2 of the Summer of Sartie. :) Today seems as good a day as any to go for a dip in a pool, doesn't it? ;D Oh, and check out this fanart I made for this fic** (**http:/theonlyoneimdreamingof.tumblr.com/post/21735636469/heres-some-fanart-i-made-for-the-fic-im-writing****). Alright, here we go!**

Chapter 6: Splish and Splash

A lot of people asked a lot out of Noah Puckerman. Girls want his stud services, boys want his player skills, and teachers just want him to shut up. For the most part, Puck only did what makes sense to _him. _That's why when Sam Evans asked to borrow a pool for a day, Puck had to ask why, even if he was pretty sure he already knew.

Puck wasn't an idiot, after all; he'd seen the sparks flying since Rachel's lame party had given the boys an excuse to make out without being judged. Everyone was making out that night, gay, straight, or whatever. It didn't strike any curiosity when Sam and Artie disappeared for a bit after the body shots incident. The way they looked at each other since, though (and especially since Nationals; Puck had sex vision, and he knew that those two had just had a serious macking session when the other guys got back to the hotel room) spoke for itself. Summer had been the real tip-off though; sure, Sam and Artie were always pretty close, but so far this summer they'd been inseparable. Artie was waiting for Sam outside of summer school almost every day, and Sam practically lived in Artie's room. Puck just wanted those two to admit to it; it's not like _he_ would tell anyone, or judge them, either.

"Just tell me, dude" Puck insisted when Sam started searching for a good explanation as to why he wanted access to a swimming pool. "I think I already know, but I thought we were bros; you should just tell me." Sam considered for a moment, his hands in his pockets and his eyes scanning the air in front of him as though that would give him answers.

"I want to surprise Artie," Sam admitted. "We were talking about it the other day, and he really wants to go swimming again. He used to love it, but his mom- she's kinda protective, and she'd never let him do it. So," Sam concluded, nodding his head to emphasize how much he wanted the pool, "I need to get him a pool."

Puck considered; he _did_ have access to about half of the twenty-two pools in Lima, and a lot of home-owners went on vacation during summer. "Hit up the Lackley's house. 285 Elm," Puck suggested, throwing Sam a key. Sam caught it, smiling profusely. "Thelma just got married, and they're on their honeymoon. That door opens the wooden gate to the side," Puck explained further. Sam's eyes were crinkled up with pleasure.

"Thanks, man," Sam said emphatically, slapping Puck's arm in gratitude. "You won't regret this." Puck half-smiled; he was nothing if not a good friend.

An hour later, Sam was pushing his blind-folded boyfriend down Elm Street, looking for the house with the wooden gate on the side. "Tell me where we're going, Sam Evans, or I swear I won't put out anymore!" Artie wailed, his arms crossed petulantly.

Sam laughed, "Stop acting like a child, boy."

"I will when you tell me where we're going! Do you know what it feels like to be so out of control right now? It's killing me," Artie confessed, sighing and letting his arms fall to his arm rests in defeat.

"Trust me, you'll love it. It's like what you thought about your uncle Steve's theater: it's better as a surprise," Sam insisted, knowing that argument would work.

The two traveled in silence for a bit after that. Sam was looking at the addresses closely now- 269, 271, 273… His search was momentarily interrupted by Artie's inquiry about food. "Is this a sandwich?" Artie asked as he dug through the basket on his lap.

Sam ruffled Artie's hair, "Scoun. I told you not to peek."

"I'm not peeking, Sam, I'm _feeling_," Artie corrected, his gloved hands roaming the inside of the basket. "Are we going camping or something? It feels like you've packed enough food for a whole week!" Artie exclaimed. Sam chuckled, "Not exactly." As he said that, they reached 285 Elm. It was a really nice looking two-story house with a big lawn and a really cheery vibe about it.

"What is that a sound? A door? Where are you taking me?" Artie asked as the wooden gate creaked open. "Here, I'm taking you here," Sam said as he made sure Artie's brakes were secure- he didn't want his boyfriend rolling into the pool after all. "Ta-da!" Sam exclaimed as he removed Artie's blindfold. Artie took a few moments to blink and readjust to seeing before he could actually realize what he was taking in. While Artie looked around, Sam ran to the heating system Puck had texted him about, turning on the heat in the pool so that it would be more comfortable, and better, for Artie, who couldn't regulate temperature in his legs the same way. "A swimming pool?" Artie asked, looking up at Sam hopefully.

Sam nodded happily: "When we were talking about things that we used to like to do when we were little, I could see how your eyes lit up at the word swimming. Well, now you have access to a pool _and_ your very own, super-hot life guard." At that, Sam started taking off his shirt and pants. Sam was pleased to see how Artie reacted to Sam's bare chest; Artie's eyes almost popped out of his eyes, his face consumed with lust and admiration.

"You're not going to let me drown?" Artie asked skeptically, looking at the edge of the pool the same way a person on a diet looks at chocolate cake, with longing mixed with fear. Clearly, Artie's mom's warnings must've sunk in to some point, but Sam would be damned if Artie didn't get to enjoy himself in the pool Sam had secured them.

"I'd never let anything bad happen to you," Sam said earnestly, staring into his boyfriend's eyes. Artie held the gaze for a long moment before whispering, "I know. Thanks." And since the boys were alone, Sam wasn't afraid to bend down and kiss Artie right on the mouth.

Sam pulled away from Artie's mouth for a bit, but it was only so that Sam could help Artie get down to the poolside picnic blanket he'd prepared for them. Once they were both on the floor, Sam reattached himself to Artie's mouth vigorously, his hands reaching for Artie's vest. Artie raised his arms, letting Sam take off the offending vest. This was as far as they'd gotten in their physical relationship, so Artie's eyes opened with surprise when Sam started going for Artie's shirt buttons. "You're not going to swim in that," Sam said breathily, and Artie quickly agreed. Artie's jeans followed soon after, forming a small pile by the edge of the pool. As soon as Sam had succeeded in getting Artie shirtless for the first time, he pulled back a little so that he could see his boyfriend. "You don't have to look," Artie mumbled, his breathing heavy from making out and his face and upper chest red from embarrassment. Sam took in Artie's defined upper body and lean mid-section, and his body tingled with desire for his boyfriend.

"Why wouldn't I? You honestly have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?" Sam asked sincerely, rolling off of Artie so that they were lying next to each other, looking up at the warm summer sky.

Artie looked at Sam, clearly shocked: "You're calling _me _beautiful? Have you seen yourself? You're like one of those Greek gods, except you can sing." Sam rolled his eyes at that before continuing on a serious note, "And yet I think you're beautiful." Artie turned away from Sam after that with a small smile on his very pink face. They stayed quiet for a moment before they started holding hands.

In the comfortable silence, Sam began to wonder if his boyfriend really didn't know he was attractive. I'll just have to make him feel hot later, Sam decided. For now, it was swimming time. Truth be told, Sam was excited too. He used to love swimming when he was younger, and had even wanted to go to the Olympics for it. Of course, that was before he got into football, but still, swimming was something Sam knew he liked doing.

Sam waited for Artie to decide he was ready. After about maybe twelve minutes of quiet, Artie turned to look at Sam again and nodded ever-so-slightly. "It's time," Sam said, trying his hardest to sound creepy knowing it would make Artie laugh- it did. "You're funny," Artie giggled, sounding for all the world like a little girl with a crush, but Sam knew that Artie was secretly terrified of getting into the pool.

"You know," Sam started, lowering his voice, "you don't have to if you don't wa-"

"Get in the pool, Evans," Artie interrupted, trying to sound brave. Sam remained unconvinced, but obliged. The blonde boy lowered himself into the pool, staying by the edge. Artie inched closer to the edge, then swung himself around so that his legs dangled into the water. "Artie, if you're scared…" Sam let the sentence drift out, hoping that his boyfriend didn't feel pressured or in danger.

"I'm not," Artie reassured him, his voice softer than normally. "I'm not scared," he repeated, "I have you."

With that, Sam placed his hands gingerly on his boyfriend's waist. Artie's hands rested on Sam's shoulders as Sam carefully lifted Artie into the pool, careful to keep the smaller boy close to the edge. Artie's eyes widened as more of him entered the pool, and Sam knew Artie was adjusting to the temperature. More and more of him got in until Artie was up to about mid-chest in water. Sam nodded towards the wall, and Artie took the hint, holding on to the side of the pool. As soon as he made sure Artie was holding on tight, Sam took away his hands slowly, eyes never leaving Artie. Artie's eyes, however, were busy looking down, apparently transfixed by the sight of himself in a swimming pool. Sam's smile grew at the sight of Artie's excitement, and the blond boy knew he'd done something amazing for his boyfriend.

"So weird..." Artie muttered, his eyes alive with wonder. It took the boys all of three seconds to meet each other's eyes and start singing: "_Up where they walk! Up where they run! Up where they stay all day in the suuuuuuuuuuu-" _At the word "sun" both boys burst out laughing.

"Did we really just burst into an impromptu rendition of a Little Mermaid song?" Sam asked happily. He was still glowing from making Artie smile like that, and besides, Sam loved all things Disney. It made him feel gloriously young, like when he was five and he had no problems. As the sun kissed both boys, Sam looked up at Artie who kept looking around in awe and he realized that he felt that way around Artie, too: he felt forever young, like he had no problems in this world because, with a love like theirs, what could be so bad?

"Say what you will about Ariel, I always thought she was kind of a bad-ass," Artie admitted, taking a break from staring at his surroundings. Sam laughed, which Artie took the wrong way. "Seriously," Artie insisted, slapping the water with the hand that wasn't clutching to the wall for dear life. "I thought she was freaking brave to trade her voice for her legs with no idea how to make that prince fall in love with her. Of course, that's coming from me, and I wouldn't trade my voice for anything, not even for legs."

Sam didn't want to tell Artie that he was laughing because the word "ass" sounded funny coming out of Artie's mouth, so he let Artie extol Ariel for a moment before realizing that his boyfriend had totally thought out the whole "what would I give up for legs" thing. It made sense; Sam knew that if he were in Artie's position, he'd have given up hope a long time ago. _Artie must be some kind of saint and he doesn't even know it, _Sam decided before lightening the mood.

"You didn't have to give up your voice to find this prince," Sam teased, edging closer and closer to his stationary boyfriend.

Artie laughed, "Good, because I don't think I'd be able to handle to not talking. The not singing, maybe, since I'm used to Blaine taking every song anyway, but-"

Artie was cut off by Sam's finger on his lips. "You're going to have to get used to not talking, at least while I do this," Sam whispered mock-seductively before leaning in and kissing his boyfriend. Sam held Artie tightly around his small waist, and Artie pulled his hand away from the wall so that he could hold his hands behind Sam's head. The boys's lips moved at a steady, similar rhythm and time seemed to stand still as their mouths moved together. It felt so nice to be in the sunlight, waist deep in warm water, holding his boyfriend to his chest that Sam was convinced that everything was a dream. It wasn't until they finally parted and Sam got a good look at the blinding smile coming both from Artie's now-unoccupied mouth and from his insanely beautiful eyes that Sam realized that this_ had _to be reality. "I couldn't even dream up something as wonderful as this," Sam murmured, running a hand through Artie's hair.

Artie nodded dreamily, but before he could say anything, he looked around. "Sam, how did we end up in the middle of the pool?" Artie inquired.

"I figure now is as good as time as any to teach you how to float," beamed Sam, pulling back slightly so that he and Artie were breathing different air again.

Artie nodded, taking a deep breath as Sam put his hand on the small of Artie's back. "Just lay back and think light thought," Sam instructed.

Artie laughed: "Think light thoughts! That doesn't make any sense."

"I'm fine if you don't want to learn, Artie," Sam lied, hoping to goad his boyfriend into at least trying. It worked. Artie made a show of rolling his eyes and murmuring - "Light, light, light" - but he leaned back all the same.

"I've got you," Sam assured him. After a few seconds of lying in the pool, Artie mused, "This is more relaxing than I remember it being."

Sam smiled: "I'm going to let go now, ok? I'll be right next to you, though, so don't worry. I'll be here, watching and waiting to step in if you need me."

Artie looked at Sam, his face intoning that he had something to say of grave importance, although the twinkle in his eyes indicated that he was about to say something funny. "If I don't make it...I love you."

Sam struggled to keep a mask of seriousness to match Artie's when responding, "I love you too, man." With that, Sam withdrew his hand about an inch and watch, amazed, as Artie managed to stay afloat for a few moments.

"I'm doing it! I'm floating! Sam, I-" Artie's excited cried were cut off by his chest falling into the pool further and water splashing close to his face. Sam hurriedly supported Artie with his hands. "Relax," Sam instructed, "I'm proud of you, too, babe, but the most important thing to do right now is relax."

Artie nodded jerkily, in a way that wasn't at all relaxed, but Sam knew that was just Artie. Sam looked Artie straight in the eye to indicate that he was about to pull away his hand. As he did, the boys were amazed to see that Artie stayed afloat a second time. Artie's excitement was written all over his face as he managed to remain still.

"Can I try moving now?" Artie asked, his face full of begging and hope.

Sam considered, then nodded, pointing to the far end of the pool: "Sure, but go that way alright? You could scrape your legs or feet against the bottom of the shallow end, and you wouldn't even know it till you got out of the pool."

At that, Artie's head jerked up and his eyes widened in surprised. "You did research, didn't you?" he asked, seemingly pleasantly surprised. Sam nodded sheepishly, pleased with how Artie was looking at him with admiration and pure love in his eyes. Artie's eyes said everything: _Thank you, you're too nice, I love you._ And with a final adoring look, Artie began treading tentatively towards the deep end, Sam following him closely just in case. After a while, it appeared that Artie didn't need Sam; he apparently remembered how to swim well enough, although it must've been different than it used to be. His movements were choppier than most swimmers, but there was an undeniable beauty to the way he moved in the water.

When Artie got the end of the deep pool, he surfaced and immediately grabbed the edge of the pool, panting with the hugest smile on his face. "I did it! I swam again!" Artie cheered, his breathing heavy with exhaustion and pride. "Get over here, Blondie!" Artie insisted, playfully slapping the water with his free hand. Sam grinned before obliging, cleanly slicing through the water towards Artie. Sam had always been athletic, so it was no surprise that he crossed the pool quickly and efficiently. When he resurfaced, it took his eyes a few moments to adjust to seeing above the surface. The first thing he saw was Artie, wearing an expression that looked like a mix of admiration and longing.

"What?" Sam asked once he was able to speak normally again.

Artie blinked rapidly. "Nothing," he said, "it's just that you looked so confident. Like you really knew what you were doing. It was...well, it was pretty sexy."

"Swimming is sexy?" Sam asked, his eyebrows raised expectantly.

"The way you do it, hell yeah!" Artie said, excited now that he knew Sam wasn't weirded out by his previous statement. "I liked it enough to want to make out with you right now."

The boys spent the next hour splashing around in the pool. At one point, Artie held on to Sam's back while Sam waded through the pool. Later, the boys had a contest to see who could hold their breath the longest. They raced from one end of the pool to another, and in between all of these activities the boyfriends kissed and cuddled, relishing every moment of privacy to be themselves, to truly be together without fear of judgment.

After long enough though, Sam heard Artie's stomach rumble and insisted that it was time for lunch. Sam pulled Artie out of the pool carefully and onto the towel that he'd thought to place beforehand at the edge of the pool. From there, Sam helped him transition onto the large blanket that held a picnic basket. "You're too sweet," Artie insisted, squinting at the basket as his glasses rested with the rest of his clothes elsewhere. "I'm going to plan the next date, and it'll beat this one if it's the last thing I do," Artie assured his boyfriend.

Sam chuckled: "An odd thing to be competitive about, but I'm game." With that, Sam pulled out the food in the basket. Sandwiches, cookies, pasta, salad, and bottles of apple juice were only some of the treats in Sam's basket.

"Holy crap, it's like Hermione's bag! How do you fit so much in there?" Artie asked, his squint turning into wide eyes filled with surprise.

"It's not that much. I figured I get pretty hungry after swimming, so it was better to pack heavy," Sam reasoned, opening one of the sandwich's wrapping to help himself. The boys chewed over their meal in silence, relishing each other's company. The boys couldn't help looking at each other, smiling like idiots on one of the best dates ever. Sam figured this was as good a time as any to pop the question he'd been thinking about since their first date, so he braced himself, took a breath, and started.

"Hey, I know we just started dating about two months ago, and this is crazy..." Sam paused to reach into the picnic basket to pull out the final item, a velvet box. As soon as Artie saw the box, he stopped mid-chew, his cheeks full of shredded sandwich, his eyes threatening to swallow the rest of his face.

"Oh God, Sam, what is this?" Artie asked quietly, audibly swallowing the remnants of his meal. Sam tried his hardest to ignore Artie's less than favorable reaction. He'd understand shortly.

"As I was saying: Hey, I know we just started dating about two months ago, and this is crazy, but you're the love of my life, so take this ring, maybe. It's not an engagement ring," Sam stressed upon seeing Artie's eyes bulge out of his head. "It's just a promise: a promise that I'll love you and only you, that no matter what comes our way we'll work it out together because together is where we belong, that I know that you're the one for me. It's a promise to you and to everybody else that I'm yours." Sam opened the box then to reveal a simple golden band with Elfish letters on the inside. "And if you wear this ring, you promise to be mine in return."

Artie's eyes couldn't have been larger, but instead of panic, Sam now saw curiosity and intrigue in his large blue eyes. "What does it say? That's Elfish, right?"

Sam grinned, and recited the translation:  
"Two hearts for all our hope under the sky,  
Seven days a week for our love to grow and grow,  
Countless years for our time together,  
Our one hope for a shred of what true love is  
In a hopeless place where all doubts lie.  
One love to rule them all, One Love to find us,  
One Love to bring us together and forever bind us  
In a hopeless place where we love as one."

Artie gaped at him incredulously: "Is that our version of the Black Speech of Mordor? Wait- in Lord of the Rings, the Tengwar inscription could only be seen when the ring was in fire."

Sam raised his eyebrows: "Our love is that fire. Will you wear the ring and fan the flame?"

Artie laughed. "You're incredibly cheesy, Sam Evans." At that, Artie's teasing look turned serious and soft at the same time. "And incredibly perfect. Of course I'll wear your ring."

Sam's smile split his face as he hurried to put the ring on Artie's finger. "My precious..." Sam growled in a creepy imitation of Golem, and Artie laughed like he did every time Sam did an impression.

"Is this what this whole evening was about? Buttering me up so that I would agree to wear your ring?" Artie asked, his face bright with the happiness of being "proposed" to.

"It was about making you happy. Because that makes me happy, my precious," Sam explained, letting out a breath of relief when he realized that Artie had actually agreed to wear the ring, that Artie really did feel the same way, that they'd just had the only date that could possibly compete with the movie theater date. Sam cuddled up to Artie and threw an arm around him lazily, enjoying every second of contact with his boyfriend. Artie nuzzled into the crook of Sam's neck, making himself comfortable. The boys sat there for what felt like forever, staring at the sunset and basking in the glow of their love.

"You realize what happens in like two weeks, right?" Artie murmured comfortably, his voice slightly muffled against Sam's neck. Sam's brain started racing, trying to figure out what Artie could be talking about. It wasn't their anniversary in two weeks, it wasn't anyone's birthday...

Finally Sam gave up. "What?" Artie looked up at the boy in faux-surprised.

"It's Harry Potter's birthday!" Artie exclaimed, his face alight with excitement again. "And guess which of your favorite wheelchair bound nerds is throwing a party and inviting his super-hot boyfriend to come with him?" Sam gaped at Artie, in awe. That sounded like such fun. "Beat _that_," Artie grinned, settling back into Sam.

Sam laughed into Artie's hair. "As long as I get to go with you, I'm cool. What exactly goes on at a Harry Potter party?"

Artie's voice came softly, as though the boy was so comfortable that he was falling asleep on Sam's shoulder. "You know, you drink butterbeer and eat pumpkin pasties. You get sorted into houses, dance to Wrock, and, of course..." Artie paused semi-dramatically before finishing, "You play Quidditch."

Sam was practically bursting with excitement. "I can't wait," he said honestly. So far, Sam thought, he couldn't ask for a better summer, or a better person to spend it with.

**AN: I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long. I've been really busy with college decisions and some health problems, so it's taken longer than usual to get to writing. I really hope this chapter was worth the wait. The next chapter will be the Harry Potter party and the beginning of the angst, so watch out. I'm going to be in surgery sometime in the next few weeks, so updates might be coming slower and slower, but I'll make more of an effort to have a new chapter up if I get reviews to let me know that people are still reading. :D**

**Until next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7: Fly Like It's Quidditch

**A/N: I'm so sorry, everybody! With my surgery and recovery, as well as graduation and summer school planning, I realize I've neglected my duties as fan-fic author! D: I promise not to do that again. Updates will be coming much more readily now, maybe three times a week…if you guys are still interested in the story, that is. Read this chapter and tell me what you think :)**

Chapter 7: Fly Like It's Quidditch

Sam Evans was a procrastinator. Aside from being dyslexic, it was his biggest problem with schoolwork. It wasn't that he didn't like doing work; Sam lived for hard work, especially if the pay-off helped more people than just himself. Sam was just a really easily distracted guy when it came down to it.

The Harry Potter party was supposed to start at 4 in the afternoon, so Sam had decided he had enough time to make his costume the morning of the party. The dress code was "ABM: Anything But Muggle", and it surely wouldn't be that hard to come up with a Harry Potter themed outfit, so Sam hadn't spent much time worrying about it.

Sam didn't mean to procrastinate with his costume exactly; it just happened. Artie had already warned Sam not to text him that morning, as Artie would be setting up the party all day. Sam had offered his help, but Artie insisted that he wanted the party to be a surprise to everyone, so Sam spent the day with his siblings, as his parents were out trying to find work again.

Stacy woke him up at five in the morning to watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic with her, and he'd spent a good couple of hours learning about exactly why friendship is magic. Sam didn't get why Stacy loved the show so much, but he let her go on and on about how each pony represented a different element of harmony, and why it was so important that the main six were friends. Thankfully, Stevie woke up in time to save Sam from his third hour of ponies, and the three of them walked over to get breakfast from the small diner nearby, after which the kids wanted to go to Ellewood Park. The Evans siblings always had lots of fun at parks, and by the time they got back to the hotel, it was almost two-thirty.

"Oh, shoot," Sam said, glancing at the clock in the hotel room and censoring himself for the sake of the underage ears in the room.

"What's wrong, Sammy?" Stevie asked curiously as he plopped himself onto a bed. Stacy climbed on next to him, and both younger Evans' gave Sam a look of questioning.

"Nothing, guys. I just forgot to keep an eye on the time, and it looks like I don't have much time to think of a costume for the Harry Potter party," Sam confided, raking his hand through his hair. His mind started racing, trying to come up with something good. Sam knew everyone would pretty much be wearing a cloak and glasses, but he wanted to be original. Besides, Artie would probably go all out and Sam really wanted to prove that he was creative too.

"Maybe you can use those," Stacy suggested, pointing to a pile of flattened cardboard boxes that Sam had never seen before, but since there didn't seem to be much else to work with in the hotel room, Sam decided he'd better at least consider it.

"You could wear this blanket and pretend you were wearing the Invisibility Cloak?" Steve tried, lifting the bed sheet to his older brother.

"Maybe, kid," Sam said, sitting on the bed with his siblings and wondering. After a while, he had a stroke of creativity. . Grinning, Sam crossed the hotel room to the cardboard boxes. He unfolded one and cut it up with his pocket knife until it was in the shape of a mirror. After cutting a Sam-sized hole in the middle, Sam fitted the makeshift mirror around himself.

"What are you, Sammy?" Stacy asked, knocking her knees together on the edge of the bed while Stevie sat behind her, playing with her hair.

"I'm the Mirror of Erised," Sam said, waiting to see his siblings' reactions. His sister's eyes bugged and Sam breathed a sigh of relief for his idea.

"That's perfect, because what I want most of all is to be you!" Stacy cooed, jumping off the bed and into Sam's arms.

"Why, when being you is already awesome?" Sam asked playfully, bouncing his sister in the air. Her yelps of delight were interrupted by the door opening. In came his parents holding even more cardboard boxes, and their faces revealed that they were as surprised to see Sam as he was to see them.

"Kids, what are you up to? Sam, what are you wearing?" asked Mrs. Evans, hurriedly putting down the boxes next to one of the headboards. Mr. Evans smiled politely at his children before silently excusing himself to go back outside. Sam's head starting reeling with curiosity, but before he could ask his mother, Stacy felt the need to fill in her mother on their plans.

"Stevie and I are watching Sam become a magic mirror" Stacy explained as though it should be obvious.

Stevie grinned and nodded in agreement. Pointing at Sam, he added, "Sam's dressing up for his nerd party."

Sam fake-scowled at his little brother. "It's not a nerd party; it's Harry's birthday and my friends wanted to celebrate." Sam continued, now speaking to his mother: "Remember I told you that Artie and I were having a Harry Potter party today?" Sam was glad to see that his mother's worried expression had faded significantly since she'd come in the door.

"Oh right, right. That was today. I remember. And Artie, he's the boyfriend, right?" Mrs. Evans asked while settling onto the bed. Sam nodded happily, glad that his parents had been so accepting.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans had never planned on Sam being bisexual, or dating boys for that matter, but that didn't mean that they tried to stop him. Sam knew that not a lot of parents were as supportive as his own (Artie's parents, for example), and he was really grateful that they hadn't made a bigger deal of his boyfriend than they would if Sam had decided to get with a girl at the beginning of this summer.

"How's that going?" his mother asked in a tone that was trying too hard to be casual. Sam paused before responding. It wasn't that Sam was slow; he just needed time to process things sometimes. In this case, it wasn't the question that caused Sam's hesitation. It was the way his mother asked the question, as though she was trying hard not to think about something else. Sam's parents were very open with their children, especially Sam, as he was the oldest and therefore could understand what was happening more clearly than Stevie or Stacy, so the fact that it seemed like they were hiding something made Sam almost nervous. The last time his parents had gotten like this, they'd had to move into a hotel.

"Sam?" Stacy's voice broke Sam's train of thought. "Are you frozen?" she asked in her little voice, clinging to a pillow.

"Um, sorry. Everything there's going great. Really great, actually. On our last date, I gave him a promise ring," Sam confided, feeling his face turn slightly pink. Still, it never occurred to him to hide that from his family.

Stacy let out a satisfied sounding sigh before turning to the television and finding her program. Mrs. Evans, on the other hand, didn't say anything for a while. Sam pulled in his lips with anxiety, hoping that that last piece of information didn't freak his mother out too much. The room fell silent except for the high pitched voices emanating from the television set, and Sam's mind starting reeling with questions. _I shouldn't have told her, should I? I thought she wanted us to always be honest with each other? It's not that weird, is it? Oh God, what is she possibly thinking?_

When she finally spoke, she said, "I had no idea that you two were that serious. You really like this boy that much?"

Without thinking, Sam let out the honest truth: "I'm in love with him, Mom. It's kind of awesome." Thinking about how much he loved Artie made Sam's entire day that much better. His face was glowing with that feeling that comes with the absolute certainty that what you just said is one hundred percent correct, but his face fell as soon as he saw his mother's.

She looked pale and uncertain of how to say what was on her clearly troubled mind. "That's nice. I'm really happy that you're so happy, Sam. I can tell you really do care about this boy," she said sincerely, if haltingly. Sam sensed a "but" coming and braced himself for the worst.

"I'm glad you've found someone you care so much about," Mrs. Evans repeated, nodding slightly as though deciding on her phrasing. "It's just…there's a lot going on, Sam. You've grown up a lot faster than a kid your age should have to, so I think you'll be able to take what I'm about to tell you like the adult you've become." At that, she looked up into Sam's eyes and saw the undeniable truth: that her eldest son was completely submersed in love. It was all over his face, as obvious as his concern over what his mom was about to tell him so seriously.

"You can tell me anything, Mom. What's wrong?" Sam asked, his eyes narrowing as he took in his mother.

After another pause, Mrs. Evans answered her son curtly. "Nothing, Sam. It's not that big a deal. I'm sorry if I worried you, I've just been under a lot of stress lately is all. Enjoy your party."

"No, tell me, Mom," Sam insisted, pulling out his phone. "The party starts at four, I have t-" Sam cut himself off as he checked his phone and realized that he had forty minutes until four, not much time at all, really. After saying good-bye to his family, Sam walked out of the hotel room, forcing himself to put aside the nagging feeling at remembering the concern in his mother's eyes.

"I am going to a party with my boyfriend, and I am going to enjoy it," Sam said aloud as he walked up to the Abrams's house. As he came closer, Sam could hear music flowing from Artie's backyard. It sounded like The Station's version of Fly Like a G6, "Fly Like It's Quidditch." Sam smiled, already soaking up the dorky atmosphere emanating from Artie's house. Sam was still smiling as he walked up to the door and knocked. Almost as soon as his fist hit the door, Artie swung the door open.

"Expelliamus!" Artie yelled happily, pointing his wand at the door. He was dressed as Harry Potter, which made sense as it was his party. His dark hair was messier than usual, and he'd switched out his square frames for Harry's circular ones. His robes and basic costume seemed impeccable, as though they were straight from the film, and he'd even gone as far as to wear green contact lenses. If Sam was being honest, it was probably the best Harry Potter costume he'd ever seen. Artie's eyes had widened at the sight of Sam, and before Sam could say anything, Artie guessed his costume.

"Cool Mirror of Erised costume. Did you have to use the book to get the words on top right?" Artie asked curiously, his eyes big with admiration. Sam nodded sheepishly, and Artie waved it away like an offending smell. "That's fine. Wow, you look great. And the costume is actually very accurate because there's nothing I want more than you right now," Artie whispered. He probably wasn't trying to sound seductive, but that's how Sam took it.

"You'll get to have me after this party. I can't wait to unleash my basilisk," Sam whispered into Artie's ear when he bent over to hug him. Artie's ears and neck turned pink, and the moment was interrupted by voices behind them.

"Is this Hogwarts?" came a semi-annoyed voice loudly. Turning, the boys saw that Santana had arrived with Brittany, Puck, and Finn in tow. Santana was wearing a casual outfit, the only trace of Harry Potter on her a fake wand in her left hand. Brittany was in a Hogwarts robe, Ravenclaw, to be exact. It seemed normal except for the fact that it was too short on her.

"They only had some kid sizes left, but I figured since wizards are super small anyway that it'd be ok," Brittany reasoned as they passed through the doorway and into the backyard. Before Sam and Artie could try to figure out Brittany's logic, Finn walked through, smiling and giving each boy a light slap on the arm by way of greeting. Finn's outfit was different; he was wearing brown pants with a tan top and a fake-leather vest.

"He's Hagrid," Puck explained, being the last one to enter the door. Sam burst out laughing, and he could tell by the look on Artie's face that Artie was trying not to laugh. Puck put on a look of faux-annoyance. "I told him to be Hagrid. You know, because he's tall," Puck explained, and after that the three boys burst out laughing. While he was laughing, Sam noticed that Puck's "wizard attire" consisted of a black t-shirt, jeans, and a wizard hat from Disney World. After they sobered up, Puck examined both of their outfits.

"Nice mirror, Sam. Are you going against Berry for the most conceited award? Or is it a private thing for your boyfriend?" Puck asked, a sly smile on his face. Sam groaned; it was obvious how much Puck loved being in the loop.

Artie, on the other hand, looked absolutely terrified. "What are you talking about, Puck? I don't have a boyfriend," Artie insisted, in a tone that went up in pitch as Artie's anxiety level rose. Sam put his hand on his boyfriend's shoulder and squeezed lightly, a signal to calm down. Sam bent over slightly so that his mouth was on level with Artie's ear.

"It's ok, baby, he knows," Sam whispered to Artie, happy to feel some of the tension leaving his boyfriend's shoulders.

"Damn right, I know! I can't believe you guys thought you guys thought you could keep this from me. Puckermania has a sixth sense about who's doing who," Puck said happily. Smiling, he went into the house finally, clapping Sam on the back as he went. "Don't worry, I know how to keep a secret!" Puck yelled from inside the house. Artie, despite having calmed a bit, still seemed unresponsive. Sam was actually slightly startled when he heard Artie's voice again.

"I guess he was going to find out sooner or later, and better Puck than someone else," Artie tried, his voice weak. He swallowed audibly. "Well, better go start the party!" He now sounded much happier, and Sam knew he was trying to compensate for how nervous being found out made him.

"Hey, we know Puck'll be good with our secret," Sam reassured Artie as he wheeled him to the back of his house. "Besides, we were going to tell everyone eventually, right?"

The silence that followed that question almost scared Sam. He almost panicked, especially after he told his mother how much Artie meant to him. The silence that followed was filled with so much doubt and so much fear, and even though Sam loved Artie, he also counted on being able to be open about his relationship with him one day. What if they got married, for example? Would they elope? Would Sam be allowed to invite his family? Would he ever get to just kiss Artie in public?

Finally, they stopped just outside the patio door. Artie wheeled himself around before showing off his left hand. "I'm wearing this, aren't I? I'm wearing our promise because I love you," Artie said simply.

Sam grinned so wide it felt like his face was going to split open. He almost bent over to kiss Artie right there and then, but Artie nodded towards the glass patio door. "It's time to party," Artie said, smiling a shy smile.

"Artie, it's ok. I know you love me, I don't need to be open about us yet. I have to be clear, though; I want us to be," Sam said, putting his hand in Artie's hair and lightly rustling it to let Artie know that he wasn't mad, because he wasn't; he was just concerned as to how uncomfortable his boyfriend was with having a boyfriend, even if he loved aforementioned boyfriend.

"We will be," Artie insisted. "One day. Maybe even when school starts. For now, though, it'd be great not to want to kiss you in my parents's house," Artie joked. Sam nodded, getting it.

"Then, Artie Potter, what do you say to partying like a hippogriff?" Sam asked, his voice full of humor.

"Mirror, there's nothing I desire more than being with you," Artie said earnestly, sliding open the glass door and joining the festivities that he'd set up.

Sam was amazed. Artie's backyard looked totally different. The entire place looked bigger, for one thing, even though Sam knew that wasn't possible. Maybe it was just the makeshift Quidditch field that made the place looked bigger. Or maybe it was the long tables filled with food, banquet style. There was so much to look at that Sam wasn't sure where to look first.

As soon as enough people showed up, the party split into two teams for Quidditch. Artie let Sam be the other team captain, and it was impossible to miss Puck's enormous smirk. Sam ended up with Puck, Quinn, Mercedes, Blaine, and Brittany on his team. Artie had Mike, Tina, Santana, Finn, and Rachel. Kurt had volunteered to be the controller of the Golden Snitch and the Bludgers, probably in an attempt to make sure his admittedly gorgeous Centaur outfit didn't get ruined.

"I want to be Seeker!" Blaine said excitedly, bouncing up and down with excitement. His Invisibility Cloak had slipped off long ago, when he'd gone crazy trying to pin the tail on the Hungarian Horntail.

"Calm down, Blaine, I need to decide everyone's job," Sam insisted, but everyone on his team was very excited about what position they wanted. Quinn wanted to be a chaser, Puck wanted to use the bat, and Mercedes kept forgetting what the position she wanted was called.

"Can I be the beat-boxer?" came Brittany's voice over the fray.

In the end, Mercedes, Quinn and Sam were Chasers. Brittany ended up Keeper, and Blaine got the position of Seeker. Since their team was one person short, Puck offered to be both the Beaters. Sam's team (that Sam decided would be referred to as the Rebels) took their spots on the field, giving Sam a chance to see the other team's line-up.

Artie was their Keeper, which made enough sense. Mike appeared to be stretching for a run, so he probably was their Seeker, which made Sam kind of nervous- Mike was very fast, and taller than Blaine. Finn was holding the bat, obviously a Beater. That left Tina, Santana, and Rachel as the Chasers. Sam knew that Tina was pretty quick on her feet, that Santana was as strong as anyone who'd been in Cheerios for all of high school, and that Rachel was tiny and probably really agile from her years of dance training. He knew it was just a game, but for some reason Sam really wanted to win.

Of course, his own team looked good, too. Puck was a great choice for Beater. Quinn got crazy in competitions, so she could be useful. He knew Mercedes liked bringing everything she could into competitions, and Sam himself was athletic by nature. Blaine was quick, and sometimes being small could be an advantage. It was Brittany that worried him; she hadn't seemed to understand the concept of Keeper very well.

As soon as Kurt threw the Quaffle in the air, all bets were off. Rachel and Quinn both instantly ran for it, both crazed with competition. Rachel was a little faster and would've reached the Quaffle first if Quinn hadn't let out her battle-cry. A terrified Rachel flinched enough for Quinn to get the Quaffle and pass it to Mercedes, who'd been making her way downfield. From there, Mercedes threw it to Sam, who was slightly closer to the Keeper. Tina and Santana were like defensive players in basketball, hovering in front of Sam, ready to snatch the ball away from him at any given second. Artie, on the other hand, looked calmly focused, like he knew there was no way any Quaffle was going to soar past him. His quiet confidence was majorly sexy, and before Sam knew it Tina had the Quaffle and was running downfield.

"Dude, get your head in the game," Puck teased Sam. A black ball flew at them from the sideline, and Puck casually redirected it with his bat so that it hit Santana on the butt.

"You're dead, Puckerman!" Santana yelled from her spot on the field, somehow knowing that it was Puck without having to turn around. Puck laughed, then ran upfield to protect Brittany from getting hit by a Bludger.

Quinn let out her battle-cry again, probably hoping to startle Tina out of holding the Quaffle, but Tina just ducked and aimed at Brittany from a lower angle to avoid Quinn. Brittany would've blocked the ball just by standing where she was, but the incoming Quaffle scared her and she moved enough for Kurt to exclaim: "Ten points to the A-team!"

"Hell yeah!" Sam heard Artie cheer from the other side of the field. Sam met his eyes and was surprised to see a cocky smirk on Artie's usually smiling face.

"You wanna go, Abrams?" Sam called down to him, pushing back his sleeves in a gesture that he hoped looked menacing.

"Don't be a sore loser, Evans," Artie taunted, his smile lighting up the field.

Puck walked by Sam and whispered, "I thought Artie'd be the sore one. You top, right?" Sam looked at Puck in shock and playfully hit him on the chest before turning his attention back to his adorable boyfriend.

"If you wanna play hard ball, I have no problem with hard ball," Sam said, proud to be representing his team, even if he hear d a "Wanky" from Santana a bit away.

The next half-hour passed in a blur of running and hitting. Rachel and Quinn got a little too violent at one point; Kurt had to physically pull them apart. Artie proved to be a good Keeper, missing only the balls that Mercedes threw too high for him to reach. Brittany, on the other hand, missed every ball until Sam told her that Keeper meant keeping the balls out of the hoops. Puck and Finn started hitting each other with their bats at some point, and the game almost became random hysterics until the Golden Snitch came out. There are a few ways to play Quidditch, but it looked like Artie had picked a method that involved having the Golden Snitch on a fishing rod swung around the field by an outside player. Though it seemed that Kurt was trying to give Blaine an advantage, Mike didn't back down, and the two had a pretty good fight for it. Ultimately, Blaine got the snitch, but because of Artie's team's good offensive and Sam's team's awful Keeper, Artie's team ended up winning by ten points.

Sam groaned when the game ended. Being active was so much fun, and he knew Artie would be gloating later on. He looked down the field to where Artie's team was sharing a group hug, and Sam smiled; Artie looked so freaking happy that it was hard not to smile.

"Thanks for coming, everybody!" Artie said excitedly from his position by the door. It was late, and they'd just finished watching Chamber of Secrets. Brittany was asleep, and Sam was pretty sure Santana and Puck were taking shots every time Blaine clapped excitedly. The rest of the kids were talking amongst themselves for most of the movie portion of the evening. "This was so much fun! I don't think anyone wants to stay to watch _another_ movie, do you?" Artie asked, looking hopeful.

It only took about three minutes for everyone to be out of the house. Sam understood. If they were stuck watching another Harry Potter movie, no one would leave till like two in the morning.

"I'll help you clean up?" Sam offered, looking for an excuse to stay behind.

Artie waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, that's cool. I'll clean it in the morning; it'll be easier to see then anyway." Artie yawned, his Harry Potter glasses sliding up his face. "Do you want to hang around a bit in my room? My parents won't be back from their marriage day till morning?" Artie asked, his eyes even more hopeful at the prospect of Sam staying than they were at the prospect of watching yet another Harry Potter movie.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Marriage day?" he asked, pushing Artie down the hall to his room.

Artie nodded. "It's basically a day-long date, to work on their marriage." Sam didn't know how to respond to that, so he just opened the door to Artie's room and made himself comfortable on Artie's bed.

"Presumptuous, much?" Artie giggled, getting himself out of his chair and next to Sam on the bed.

Sam's eyes widened. "No, I swear, I wasn't like expecting anything." Sam was relieved to hear Artie laugh again as the smaller boy settled his head on his pillow.

"I know, I was just teasing, scoun. Honestly, I'm glad you're here. The party was fun, but it wasn't the same as spending time with you," Artie said, turning his head to face Sam and unleashing the full power of his eyes to let as much of his love for Sam seep out as possible. Sam smiled in agreement, and lowered himself so that his head was also on the pillow.

In that moment, everything in the world was as close to perfect as could be. He was lying next to his boyfriend, full of happiness and promise. He was holding the hand of a loved one, a hand that carried physical proof of their promises to each other in the form of a ring. He was looking into those astounding blue eyes like the boy next to him was the single most beautiful thing in the world, and somehow those eyes were looking at Sam like he, too, was the most beautiful thing they'd seen.

Everything was blissful. He was touching the face that had recently become more a part of his reality than of his dreams, something he hadn't thought possible. He was kissing those lips that, when they weren't busy babbling on about something adorable, fit so well against his own. He was holding a small boy to his body, feeling how much they cared for each other by how their hands grazed each other. Sam's hands were tangled in the soft brown hair, his legs were entwined with someone who would never feel that, but who would feel his love every day for the rest of his life.

Everything was as close to perfect as could be. Sam was taking off the smaller boy's clothing, feeling closer to Artie than ever. Sam could see Artie's eyes rolled back; he could see the half-crazed expression on the boy's face. Sam could feel Artie's smooth skin against his own. Sam could feel Artie's warm hands traveling Sam's back, and he could feel Artie's longing and desire. He could hear Artie repeating his name over and over again, and in that moment Sam swore that no one had ever said his name so beautifully before. Sam, Sam, Sam….

The boyfriends locked eyes, and in that moment a silent agreement came over both of them. If they were as tangled as they could possibly be before, now they had accomplished the impossible. Their pants grew louder, and Sam's name filled the room, the voice saying it full of too many new feelings to name. The only sound louder than Artie's voice moaning Sam's name was the creaking of the bed. In that moment, simple and pure, the two boys felt each other like they never had before, and were together in every sense of the word.

Afterwards, they lay there for a while, soaking in everything that had just happened. Sam wasn't stupid; he didn't think sex automatically changed everything. He could feel, though, that it had changed something in the sense that their bond was stronger than it had ever been. They were linked before, in their minds and spirits. Now, the bond was complete, and they were linked in bodies as well. Now Sam knew why people called it "making love", although in their case it was more like "strengthening love." Artie looked out of breath, but insanely happy about it. His smile lit up the room, and Sam knew that Artie felt it, too.

"We are mated for life," Sam said, breaking the post-coital silence with an Avatar movie reference. He was anticipating a "scoun" from Artie for ruining the moment, but instead he got a kiss, which, although unexpected, only made the moment sweeter. Artie fell asleep with his head on Sam's shoulder, and Sam fell asleep wondering what could possibly ruin this.

He got his answer the next morning, as he floated back to his hotel room with a bag of pastries from Artie's for his family. Sam was still completely blissed out; he couldn't stop thinking about Artie. The second he got into the room, though, memories of last night were shot out of his head immediately.

His family stopped when they heard him enter. They all looked up from their suitcases, his parent's looking apologetic and worried.

"You didn't answer your phone", his father said at the same time his mother said, "We tried to tell you," and suddenly Sam's two word mantra of _Everything's perfect_ was replaced by another two words from his mother.

"We're moving."

**A/N: DUN DUN DUUUUN! I'm sorry you guys, but you knew it had to come. D:**

Please, if you want this story to continue, leave me a comment to let me know people are reading.  
I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! It took a while, I know (tee hee). Sorry about that. Like I said earlier though, that will definitely change.

**-Ally**


	8. Chapter 8: Say Goodbye

**AN: Hey, guys. Sorry for everything. The fact that this story still has readers is a miracle. I've been so caught up in other projects that I just…I lost inspiration for these two for a bit. I lost inspiration with myself for a while, and I wasn't sure if I'd ever get back to being myself again. With that said, I'm back and ready to keep writing this fic in its entirety. That is, if anyone still wants to read it. If not, I completely understand. While you're here though, you may as well check out the new stuff **

Chapter 8: Say Goodbye

Artie's mother was starting to get worried; her son hadn't left his room all day, and it was already one in the afternoon. He'd gotten some sort of tearful phone call the night before, and it was like the tears were contagious, because she could hear her son crying softly all morning.

Ben heard it, too. His room was right next to Artie's, after all, so he was all too aware that Artie had been a mess. Part of him really wanted to see what his brother's problem was, but the greater part of him convinced the rest of him that it was none of his business. Still, Ben wouldn't be Ben if he didn't feel inclined to at least peek into his brother's room, just to make sure he was ok.

Ben pushed Artie's door open just a smidge, hoping he could see what his brother was doing. It didn't work; from the bit of the door that he'd opened, all Ben could see was the far wall in the room. Ben tried pushing the door open a tiny bit more and ended up falling, subsequently pushing the door open.

Artie's head snapped up. "Ben?" he asked, his voice embarrassingly cracking as though he'd been crying all day. His eyes were red, and his cheeks were puffy. His hair, usually neatly combed by this time of day, was sticking up in random patterns, and he was still in his pajamas, sitting on his bed bent over a box.

Ben stood up as quickly as he could. "I'm sorry, Artie. I just wanted to make sure you were ok," he tried, sheepishly looking at the ground.

"That's ok, Squirt," Artie said, clearing his throat a few more times so that he could sound normal. It didn't work. "I'm fine," he added, completely unconvincingly. Artie tried smiling so hard that it looked like his tear-stained face was going to crack. Ben frowned.

"Seriously, though. You are the world's worst liar. What's wrong?" Ben asked, genuinely concerned. He made his way over to sit next to his brother on the bed. Artie automatically tried to cover the box with his hands, but he gave up and lowered his arms in defeat.

"Just look," Artie said, crossing his arms as his brother took in the box on his bed.

It was a large box, the kind families used for moving. It looked normal enough at first, until Ben noticed that the words "Sam Box" were written on the top in what was obviously his brother's handwriting. Ben looked to his brother, double-checking that he was allowed to actually look inside. Artie gave a slight nod before looking off into the distance, probably back in that sad place that had made him cry all day.

It was a strange collection of things inside. There were tickets stubs, movie tickets, pictures of Artie and his friend Sam together…and when he saw those pictures of the two boys, Ben realized what the box what. It was a tribute to Artie's boyfriend.

There was more. There were random papers all clipped together that, judging from the page on top, contained poetry and doodles. Ben saw a few movies in there as well, like Star Wars and Avatar. He saw a picture of Artie hugging the giant teddy bear that he'd brought home what felt like forever ago. He saw a lot of snapshots and doodles and letters and poems and stubs and receipts, and Ben knew he was looking at Artie's secret life for the whole summer.

Ben's thought process was interrupted by Artie's voice. "He's moving," Artie said from somewhere really far away. Ben wrinkled his forehead, unsure if he'd understood that correctly, but when he turned to see his brother he knew that the look of total and complete melancholy Artie was wearing could only have one cause.

"You love him?" Ben asked curiously, trying to arrange the things in the box the way they looked when he first opened it. Artie nodded softly, then looked down at his hand. Ben's eyes followed, seeing the ring for the first time.

Ben's eyes widened. "Christ, Artie, you got married?!" he screeched. Artie rolled his eyes, a typical Artie response that made Ben relax a little bit. It sounded dumb, but if Artie could still roll his eyes, Ben knew there was hope for him to start feeling better.

"It's a promise ring, dummy," Artie said simply, smiling a little now for real.

Ben looked at his older brother curiously. "What did you promise?" he asked, leaning towards Artie.

Artie shrugged. "You know, eternal love and that sort of thing," he said, trying to make joke. The humor didn't reach his voice. Ben couldn't hold it in any longer; he threw himself towards his brother until he'd enveloped Artie in a bear hug.

"What are you guys going to do now that he's leaving?" Ben asked quietly, still holding Artie. It was strange; usually, it was Artie who had to comfort Ben.

Artie's voice came muffled from Ben's shoulder. "We're going to try-I mean, we want to- to stay together. It won't be easy- we know- he's moving to Kentucky. He won't have his phone- they can't afford to keep the line-but there's mail," Artie stammered, interrupted occasionally by his own heavy breathing.

Ben nodded. "You're not going to tell Mom, are you?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Artie raised his head from his younger brother's shoulder, his face newly stained with tears. "I can't," he whispered.

"Maybe she'd be ok with it," Ben tried, knowing that Artie got away with things more easily than Ben could. Artie had always been the family favorite, and to Ben, at least, it seemed like his older brother could literally do and get away with everything.

"No, she wouldn't," Artie mumbled, sliding the promise ring up and down his finger. "She wouldn't kick me out or anything. I know that," he admitted, pursing his lips as though wondering how to continue. "It's just- you know Mom. She likes to plan out everything, even our lives, and me being in love with a guy is just really not in her plan. It'd be like a bombshell," Artie finished, letting out a deep sigh.

"You're right," Ben agreed, pulling back from the hug and settling on Artie's headboard. "What's the box for?"

Artie chuckled, a wry sound. "It's so he doesn't forget me. I know it's dumb, and he's got a lot of other stuff to carry with him, but it's his if he wants if," Artie said, looking at his brother as though he was still expecting Ben to recoil from the very idea. Ben didn't. He stayed with Artie, listening to his stories about Sam and holding him when he started to cry again. Ben listened until the stories were all done and until the tears ran out, eyes wide with wonder and face full of sympathy. Ben stayed with his brother for five hours, at which point Artie realized he had to go see his boyfriend off.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX xXxXxXx

Sam stood by the tracks, looking down at the railing. His family was inside the station, waiting for the train to arrive to whisk them away to some other life. It didn't seem fair to Sam that his life could be changed so much in such a short span of time.

"It'll be better for everyone," his dad had said as Sam took in the view of the many packed boxes in their hotel room. "The pay is great, and there's a good school nearby for you guys."

Mrs. Evans had refused to look directly at Sam for a while. She understood how much this summer had meant to her son, and she knew how much it hurt him to have to leave. Stacey and Stevie were kids, so while they didn't like the inconvenience of moving again, they were happy that they would have a new house. Sam felt like he was the only loser in this scenario, and he hated himself for being so selfish. If he was being honest, Sam knew that this was a great opportunity for his family, but it was hard to remain rational when his emotions threatened to kill him.

He hated the idea of leaving Artie like this. After a whole summer of each other, the two boys weren't just in love; they were best friends, friends beyond the level of friendship they'd had before, which Sam hadn't believed was possible. They understood each other implicitly. They had that extra spark that either happens or it doesn't, and if it doesn't then there's nothing that can ignite it, and if it does happen then nothing can put it out. Artie was his soul mate, and it didn't seem right that they only had one summer before life tore them apart.

Suddenly, Sam heard the familiar sound of Artie's wheels approaching. This was going to be the last time in a while that he saw his boyfriend's face. Sam forced himself to hold back his tears and look at Artie.

Artie's smile was as bright as it always was whenever he saw Sam, but it was hard to miss the fact that Artie had been crying, too. It took Sam a while to look at anything that wasn't Artie's smiling face, but once he finished committing the image to memory Sam noticed that his boyfriend carried a box on his lap.

"Hey, scoun," Artie greeted him, pulling on the brakes a few feet from Sam. He looked so unbelievably sad that Sam almost bent down and kissed him right then and there, because he knew that a kiss would make Artie's sad face light up like a Christmas tree, but then he remembered that it probably wasn't the best idea to do that in a train station.

"Hey," Sam breathed, trying not to cry all over again. "What's in the box?" he asked to distract himself.

Artie half-smiled. "This," Artie chuckled dryly, holding up the box as much as he could, "is for you." Sam took the box. It was a lot heavier than it originally seemed.

"I didn't know we were bringing presents," Sam joked, balancing the box on his knee as he opened it. As soon as he opened it, it was clear what the box was.

As Sam looked through it, Artie explained a bit. "It's a box of stuff that we did together, or stuff that reminds me of us, or things that I wrote about you," he said, quickly and quietly, as though the volume of his voice was directly correlated to how embarrassed he was going to get. "There's a bunch of pictures, some tickets from our dates, random writings that you inspired…"Artie trailed off, letting Sam explore the box on his own.

Sam was overwhelmed. He flipped through pages and pictures, amazed by the sheer amount of them. He laughed at their photo-booth shots from their first date, and he almost started crying again when he saw a little drawing Artie had made of himself looking into the Mirror of Erised and seeing the two boys together. He found a red Solo cup and remembered the party where he had pronounced Artie as the love of his life. Before he let himself get overly emotional again, Sam found a blue CD case. He held it questioningly, and Artie took the hint.

"I made a CD of our songs," Artie confessed. "I figured you could listen to the songs and maybe…think of me. Sometime," Artie finished, twisting his face up to the side, clearly worried that Sam wouldn't like the idea.

Sam scanned the back of the CD case, where Artie had written the songs that the CD contained. He saw some that he knew well, like "1000 Miles" by Vanessa Carlton and Rob Thomas's "Ever the Same".

"Somebody to Love" by Justin Bieber, the first time Sam had seen Artie as a romantic possibility….

"I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz, the first time Sam had called Artie the love of his life….

"All My Life" by KCI and JoJo, the first and only time that they'd made love.

There were 28 songs total, and Sam was determined to listen to them all on the train ride. He was pretty sure that his father had brought an old CD player with them.

"I love this," Sam reassured Artie, waving the CD in the air. "It's just…I don't know the last song at all," Sam confessed, putting the CD back in the Sam Box.

"You said you've always wanted someone to write a song for you," Artie said shyly. Sam smiled slowly, silently asking Artie if he was saying what he thought he was saying. Artie nodded in return, and Sam couldn't contain himself any longer. He bent over and kissed his boyfriend as passionately as he wanted to.

Sam knew that, under different circumstances, Artie would've been angry with Sam for kissing him in public when he wasn't out yet. However, as they were, on the cusp of saying goodbye in a surprisingly empty train station, Artie completely allowed Sam to lead them through their last kiss for a while.

"I love you. I know it's totally lame and obvious and cliché to say that to your boyfriend right before a train comes to take you away, but it's true," Sam whispered as pulled away, keeping his face only a few centimeters from Artie's.

"I didn't think we could be a cliché couple if we tried," Artie replied laughing. "I love you, too. And I would run after the train if I could."

Sam finally stood, although he kept his hand on Artie's shoulder. "This isn't the end for us," Sam said with certainty radiating from each of his words. He waited for Artie to say something, but all Artie could do was nod in agreement while his eyes filled with tears. "It's not," Sam insisted, kneeling down so that he and Artie were face to face. "I love you. You love me. We were meant to be together, and so we will be. You got it?" Sam asked.

"Don't forget me," Artie managed through the freshly-flowing tears that he tried, fruitlessly, to cover up.

The sight of tears leaving Artie's eyes was the last straw for Sam, and his tears picked up where they left off. "I could never forget you," Sam murmured, slightly embarrassed by how his voice sounded when he was crying. "I'll write you as soon as we get settled," Sam promised.

"You better, or else I'll think you found someone better than me in Kentucky," Artie said, his voice too grim for joking.

Sam ruffled Artie's hair. "Impossible."

The boys just stared at each other for a while after that until Sam's family emerged from the train station, holding their own bags. Sam's parents said a simple good-bye to Artie, and the two kids gave him a huge hug. It made Sam smile through his tears, watching his family say goodbye to the guy he was in love with. All too soon, the train pulled up to the station and the Evans's had to get on it. Sam kissed Artie lightly on the lips and followed his family onto the train. There was a whistle, and then they were gone.

Sam looked out of the window as they pulled away and found himself wishing he hadn't, because now he was stuck with the image of Artie getting smaller and smaller until he disappeared. Sam had his family, yes, and they had a great chance at a new place, but he still couldn't help wishing he didn't miss Artie so much.

"Dad, can I borrow your old CD player?" Sam asked, his heart sinking the further south the train traveled. As soon as he had the said technology, Sam plugged himself in and skipped immediately to the last track, the song that Artie had made for him.

The music started, a soft guitar. "This is a song called 'Sam'," came a very familiar voice, and suddenly Sam didn't feel so alone anymore.

**AN: Sorry for the brevity, but that's all I got so far. The next chapter will be Artie's first day of school without Sam. Please note that I don't have anyone to proofread my work, so there will probably be mistakes. I'm really, truly sorry for the lack of writing. I lost my muse for a while. I lost my way. Finishing up this chapter, though, kind of brought me back, so I'd like to thank the people who put up with me and read this chapter despite the ridiculous wait, because it's because of you guys that I found myself again.**

**Now, if you want to hear the playlist that Artie made Sam, you should check out my tumblr. I made a post about it.**

**( post/29414251829/these-are-the-songs-that-are-on-the-cd-that-artie)**

**I actually listen to this playlist when I write this fic lol. As for the song that Artie wrote Sam…. I did write a song for that, I just wasn't sure how to include it in the fic. If you guys want the lyrics, just ask and I'll post it on my tumblr!**

**Once again, I'm truly sorry, and if you guys still want to read, then I'm still going to write : )**


	9. Chapter 9: First Day of School

Chapter 9: First Day of School  
_

_Dear Artie,  
My new home is actually pretty nice. It has a big backyrad, which the kids love, and it has two bathrooms. I forgot what it felt like to hvae two bathrooms. The school nearby seems good enouf, and there is even a park nearby that makes me think of you. The place is awesome, exept for the fact that your not here with me.  
Anyway, the return adres is on the envelope. I hope I get a letter from you soon._

_Oel ngati kameie,  
Sam  
__

_Dear Artie,  
Its been like a week, dude. Maybe I just havent gotten you're letter yet. I guess I just wanted you to know I was still thinking about you. My dads new boss had a party for him and they served the drinks in the red solo cups that they had at the first party we went to as boyfriends. Remember? It was when I called you the love of my life. You are. I miss you. A lot._

_Your scoun,  
Sam  
__

_Artie-  
"Take me in your arms, and make me belive  
That there is such thing as meant to be.  
One look in your eyes and I know for sure.  
You are what I was put here for."_

_Sound familiar? It should, scoun. It's the song you rote for me. I really like it. I listen to it every day.  
I miss you. I started school today and I couldnt stop myself from wishing that everyne I saw was you._

Please write back soon,  
Sam.  
_

Artie slammed his hand on the alarm clock that had rudely awakened it. Its infernal beeping was more like tiny screams, and it irritated him in ways that he couldn't understand. Once his glasses were on, he shoved himself out of bed and slumped himself down onto his chair that was loyally waiting on the side of the bed for him. Just like every morning.

It was the first day of his junior year, and he knew he should be excited but he just wasn't. He checked his phone to find a new message, and his heart soared pathetically high before crashing again when he realized it was just something from Mercedes, asking if the outfit she had on was /too/ fierce for the rest of the school to handle. Artie angrily tossed his phone on the bed before wheeling out of his room, not even bothering to change out of his shirt and sweatpants.

His mother was waiting in the kitchen, a smile on her face that matched the smile made from chocolate chips on his chocolate and banana pancakes. Those pancakes had been a special treat for first days for as long as Artie could remember, but he couldn't bring himself to return the grin.

"Is the mail here?" Artie asked impatiently. He could see his mother frown; he didn't blame her, really. It was pretty much the only thing he'd said since Sam left almost a month ago.

She nodded and gestured to the table. Artie rolled over, trying not to get his hopes up as he scanned the envelopes. Bills, letters from the school, Ben's pen pal- nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just as there hadn't been every day that he'd checked.

"Are you waiting for something, Artie?" his mother asked as she poured out some soy milk for her sons. She was obviously playing dumb; Artie had acted like every day was the worst Christmas ever with the way he stalked the mail, his face collapsing every time he realized there was nothing for him.

"I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled, stabbing the pancakes bitterly with his fork. His mother seemed to accept that as an answer, not prodding any further. Instead, she chose to walk over to the living room, where Artie's father slept soundly on the couch, still in his work clothes. Artie's mother placed a cup of coffee for her husband by his side, careful not to wake him from his slumber.

Her effort was wasted; Ben came bustling down the hallways, smile bright and voice loud.

"First day of school!" he cheered, jumping into his seat. "I love these! Thanks, mom!"

Artie had the strange sensation that he was watching himself three years ago; he'd always been the one excited to go to school. Asides from the bullying, school was Artie's domain. He got to be the best at something, and more importantly, he loved to learn. He'd always loved to learn, but lately it felt as though he spent all of his love elsewhere.

As he watched his younger brother drown his pancakes in syrup, Artie felt a strange pang of sadness in his heart. Ben was so young; life hadn't disappointed him yet. Life hadn't given him the greatest gift in the world only to snatch it away without warning. Artie secretly hoped that Ben would never fall in love; the joy of it was overshadowed by the pain that came from losing love.

A part of Artie, the part that remained faithful to his boyfriend, told Artie not to lose hope yet. It reminded him that he didn't know what was wrong, and not to judge Sam too harshly.

That was the worst part, though- not knowing. For all Artie knew, Sam and his family could be lost. Or dead. Or Sam could've found someone else. Or he could've just not wanted to talk to Artie anymore. Or maybe he just hadn't had the time. The problem was that while Sam didn't write to him, Artie had no idea what was wrong, and not knowing killed it almost as much as thinking that he'd lost Sam did.

Ben leaned across the table towards his brother. "Aren't you going to change?" he whispered, clearly concerned. Artie didn't respond; he just pushed the remainder of his mauled pancakes aside, grabbed his backpack, and went to the car.

His mood only worsened once they were on the way to school. "I'm Yours" came on the radio, and Artie had to stop himself from opening the car door and throwing himself out of it. He hated himself for letting this get to him so much; he knew how dumb it was, but he also knew that Sam always kept his promises. Why hadn't he heard from him? What had he done to deserve this? It felt like his heart was breaking every time he inhaled.

Artie decided to go numb, a practice he had almost perfected in the last month. He focused on the sound of his breathing and let his vision fuzz out until he couldn't see or hear anything. It was until his mother yelled his name that he realized they were back at McKinley High. Joy.

"Artie! You keep disappearing on me!" she admonished. Artie was shocked at the actual, tangible sadness in her voice. He'd been selfish; he didn't spend too much time thinking about how his family took his change. It had taken time; for the first week, he'd remained hopeful. He got a little upset after he checked the mail, but for the most part he kept his spirits high. As the days passed though, Artie got more and more upset, often in a bad mood before he even checked the mail.

"It's like I don't even know who you are anymore! My Artie kept his head high and his eyes sparkling no matter what. What happened to that Artie? I miss him," she continued, her voice thick with tears.

Artie blinked back his own tears. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. He meant it, too. He hadn't wanted his family to feel the force of his depression. It made it even worse.

"No matter what's happening in your life, Artie, I need to see that you're trying. So promise me that you'll try to have a good day at school, at least," his mother tried, wiping her eyes with her sweater sleeve.

Artie felt the weight of his mother's words. She was right, though. Either he'd get a letter from Sam soon or he wouldn't, and even though the possibility that he wouldn't cut him deeply, Artie knew he had to get a move on with his life. He couldn't spend it crying in his room.

"I promise, Mom," he said earnestly. She nodded happily before helping him out of the car and into the chair. After a final wave and a sad smile, she was gone. Artie's junior year had officially begun.

As he rolled to the back of the school to take the ramp entrance that he liked best, Artie couldn't help noticing how many people were staring at him. It was something he thought he'd be used to by now, and although Artie could definitely pick out a few freshman who were looking at him with the awestruck "omg a wheelchair" look that he hated, there was definitely something else. There was something different about the way these people were looking at him, and it freaked him out a little.

His immediate thought was that people weren't used to seeing him in anything other than a sweater vest and a collar shirt, but by the time Artie rolled up the ramp and into the hallways, he knew it had to be more than that. People were whispering to their friends, their quiet voices muddled and growing into a sort of sharp frenzy that echoed off the walls.

Before Artie could roll up to the nearest group of girls and ask them what was wrong, he felt someone come up behind him and start pushing him in the direction of the choir room.

"Relax, it's just me," Artie heard Tina say. He whipped his head around and saw that Mike was on her heels, his usual look of calm replaced with a sort of panic.

Rachel and Mercedes appeared out of nowhere, it seemed, and they walked on either side of the chair, ushering away the people that were staring.

"Get yourselves to class, there's nothing to see here," Mercedes said loudly, her sure voice filling the halls.

"Yes, there is absolutely nothing worth your time here," Rachel agreed in her chipper tones, sending overly dramatic glares at people.

"What is going on?" Artie found himself able to ask as Tina pushed him around the corner.

She never answered. She didn't have to. The next few minutes happened in an instant, the longest instant of Artie's life.

He heard Mike complain from somewhere far away. "Who left that one up?" he was asking desperately. Rachel rushed to the billboard on the wall and pulled a page away, but not before Artie could see what was on it. It was a picture of him and Sam. Even in his haze, seeing Sam hurt with a burning intensity. The worst part wasn't just seeing his boyfriend again. The worst part was that the picture was one of them kissing, with the caption SUPPORT GAY LOVE under it in rainbow letters.

Before Artie could realize what was happening, he was in the choir room surrounded by his fellow Glee members. His ears were blown out and he couldn't shake the image of the poster from his mind.

Even within his stupor, Artie managed to hear snippets of his friends' conversation.

"I just don't understand who would do something like this," Rachel's voice rang out, cutting across Artie's already frazzled nerves.

"That was probably the last one," Mike's hopeful voice added.

"Yes, but the damage is done. I bet the whole school has seen them by now," Kurt added cynically.

"There's got to be something we can do," Finn asserted.

"Woah, guys, what is going on?" Mr. Shuester's masculine voice cut through the haze, and Artie snapped back to reality, almost shaking with the impact of what had just happened.

"Mr. Shue, we've got a huge problem. Someone posted pictures of Artie…" Finn trailed off, clearly trying to figure out how to delicately phrase the posters' content.

Santana groaned impatiently. "Someone put pictures of Sam and Artie making out around the entire school," she finished.

Mr. Shuester looked around the room in shock before looking right at Artie. The rest of the room followed suit and Artie swore it felt like he was shrinking.

"Oh, and it said he was gay, too," Santana added helpfully.

Rachel stood up. "I say we find the person responsible and report them to Principal Figgins," she said proudly, as though she'd solved world hunger and global warming right there and then.

"What's Figgy going to do about it?" Puck challenged. "I can tell you right now- nothing. Squat. Zero. No one in this school gives a damn. No, if we want to deal with this, we have to handle it ourselves."

"Guys, violence is never the answer," Mr. Shue said sternly, looking right at Puck. He turned towards Rachel, exasperation all over his face. "I agree, we should try to figure out who did this, and after that we let the school handle it. What they did to Artie was not ok, and they won't get away with it."

"I bet it was Jacob Ben Israel; he loves stirring up drama without thinking about people's feelings," Tina suggested, her voice sounding as though it was on the verge of tears.

"I'd bet my next solo that it was David Karofsky. He's a well-known homophobe and has a notorious dislike of our little band of misfits," Rachel argued.

"It wasn't Karofsky," Kurt added quickly.

"Well, whoever it was, it's not like they're going to confess," Mercedes pointed out.

Mr. Shue looked directly at Artie. "Are you ok, Artie? Do you need anything?"

"I think I just need to be alone," Artie said, his voice coming out as less than a whisper.

The whole room looked at him as he wheeled out of the door. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew one thing for sure; he'd already broken the promise he'd made to his mother, because if he thought living without Sam was the worst thing ever, being outed was infinitely worse.  
_

**A/N: Everybody having a good time? :D I'm sorry I took so long to write. But anyways, there you are, chapter nine! O: The misspellings in Sam's letters were intentional (he's got dyslexia, remember?) in case you were wondering. And what about that ending, huh? Who do you guys think put up the pictures around the school?**

Please leave reviews! I need to know what you guys think before I can get back my inspiration from this story; I just need to know that you guys are still willing to read it. Thanks. I love you guys!


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